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ASAHEL BLODGETT 



OF 



Hudson and Dorchester, N. H. 



HIS AMERICAN ANCESTORS AND HIS 
DESCENDANTS 



COMPILLD BY 

ISAAC DIMOND BLODGETT 

HIS GRANDSON 



BOSTON 

PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION 

1906 




Author 
(Pwwn) 

: , S '06 




INTRODUCTION 




N December, 1864, my father, Ebenczer^ 
Blodgctt, of Rumney, N. H., then near 
his seventy-eighth birthday, was visiting 
me at my house in Boston. One even- 
ing the conversation turned u))on family 
history, and I was fortunate enough to make some 
pencil notes of his statement relating chiefly to the 
family in Hudson, N. H. His memory was almost per- 
fect in regard to the great family of thirteen children, 
reared by his father Asahel^, and he gave a very clear 
account of his grandfather Jeremiah^, and was familiar 
with the tradition that his great-grandfather Joseph*, 
left Chelmsford, Mass., the original home, settled at Not- 
tingham West, now Hudson, at a period so early that he 
had to live in a garrison house for protection from the 
Indians, and that a son of his was the first white child 
born in the town. I still retain, considerably yellowed 
by the lapse of more than forty years, the notes of that 
conversation, and later study of documentary evidence 
and records verified the substantial accuracy of my 
father's statement. 



A Introduction 

About 1893 I received from John Taggard Blodgett, 
of Providence, R. I., now my esteemed friend and cor- 
respondent, and one of the Honorable Justices of the 
Supreme Court of Rhode Island, an Incomplete List 
of Certain Lines of the Descendants from Thomas 
Blogget, who sailed from London for New England 
in April, 1635, in the Increase, and who settled in 
Cambridge, Mass. This " List," compiled largely from 
the Town Records of Chelmsford, Mass., and Hudson, 
N. H., disclosed my descent from the original Immigrant 
of 1635, as well as that of my esteemed informant. 

Prompted by this new light, I prepared a condensed 
outline of the lineage of myself and my near kinsmen. 
Judge Caleb Blodgett of the Superior Court of Mass- 
achusetts, now deceased ; of his brother Judge Isaac N. 
Blodgett, of New Hampshire, late Chief Justice of the 
Supreme Court of that State, also now deceased, and of 
Hon. Rufus Blodgett, late United States Senator from 
New Jersey, — which was published in Munsell's Ameri- 
can Ancestry of 1893. 

In the Spring of 1901 I was convalescent after a long 
sickness, and having withdrawn from business after a 
continuous mercantile experience of more than half a 
century, was living temporarily in the vicinity of the 
Boston Public Library, and began a systematic exam- 
ination of Town Histories, War Rolls, Genealogical 
Registers, Family Genealogies, English Visitations, Pro- 
bate Records, etc. This I continued at the library of 
the New England Historic Genealogical Society, hand- 
ling and examining thousands of volumes, and transcrib- 
ing everything I found bearing upon my subject. A 
general correspondence followed, which continues at the 



Introduction 5 

present writing. The family is much more numerous 
and widely scattered than I could anticipate. 

I have found the name in every State of the Union, 
in Canada, in Mexico, even in far off Hawaii. I have 
on hand more material than I can expect to arrange 
properly for publication ; my aim is to put in form for 
preservation, as much as possible of the history of an 
old and honorable family. 

This present little work was projected only in the 
interest of my own immediate branch of the general 
family, and for distribution to the descendants of my 
grandfather Asahel^ Blodgett. An afterthought prompts 
me to add in Part III, The first four generations of 
Blodgetts in America, the family of Daniel^ at Chelms- 
ford, and the family of Samuel^ at Woburn, Mass. 

I. D. Blodgett. 




PART I 



The Blodgett Ancestors 



Of 



ASAHEL BLODGETT 




Blodgett Genealogy 



PRELIMINARY 



f^ ^' '^ ^ W HE Blodgett Family in America i^ 



IS 

In the great 



4 of English origin. 

tide of immigration between 1630 
and 1640, came Thomas Blog- 
gett, " Glover," aged 30. and his 
wife Susan, aged 37, with two 
young sons, Daniel, aged four, and Samuel, aged 
one and a half. The official custom-house record 
of their departure from London, according to 
Drake's " Early Founders of New England," 
Boston, 1865, and Hotten's " Original Lists," 
New York, 1875, is as follows : * 

xviij*' Aprilis 1635. — Theis vnder written names are 
to be transported to New England imbarqued in the 
Increase de Lo, Robert Lea M^ The p'te pred having- 



* Drake, p. 25, differs from Ilotten in having viii for xviii. 



10 The Blod^ctt Ancestors 



brought Certificates from the minister & Justices of y 
Peace of his conformitie to the Church of England. 



Tho : Bloggett Glover 30 yeres 

Suzan Bloggett, vxor 37 

Daniel 1 Blogget 4 
Samvell Blogget 



u\ 



2 cJiildrcn 



The official record gives no suggestion as to 
the English locality from which the family came. 
Thomas was evidently a Puritan ; the Puritan 
emigration was chiefly from the eastern Coun- 
ties, and as the compiler, after a diligent search 
through the great mass of Harleian Publications, 
Parish Registers, Heraldic Visitations, Court Rec- 
ords, etc., which are available in the great libra- 
ries, has only found the name in the Eastern 
Counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, it seems probable 
that Thomas, from whom, so far as ascertained, 
all of the name in this country are descended, 
was from that part of England; but no definite 
information has been found as to the locality 
from which he came, or of his ancestry, and this 
answers a question frequently asked regarding a 
coat-of-arms. When the daughter and heir of 
Richard Blodgett, in the County of Suffolk, Gent., 
married John Herberd, of Yaxley- Yaxley, 1561, 
the Blodgett arms were quartered with those of 
the bridegroom, etc., but we cannot connect our 
ancestor with Richard, or with Edward Blodgett, 



Of Asahel Blodgett ii 

also mentioned about the same time. (See Visi- 
tations of Norfolk, 1563, 1589, 1613.) 

Thomas arrived in Boston in due course and set- 
tled in Cambridge (then " New-Towne"), where 
he was one of the original members of " Rev. 
Thomas Shepard's Company," which founded what 
is now the Shepard Memorial Church. Early in 
the year 1636 Mr. Hooker and his congregation 
at Newtowne had removed to Hartford, Conn. 
In the quaint language of the times the organiza- 
tion of the church which took their place is thus 
described : 

Thefe people and Church of Chrijl being thus de- 
parted from Newtowne, the godly people, who came in 
their roomes, gathered the eleaventh Church of Chrijl, 
and called to the Office of a Paftor, that gratious, 
fweete, Heavenly minded, and foule-ravifliing Minifter, 
Mr. Thomas Shepheard* 

Thus on the ist of February, 1636, was formed 
the first permanent church at "Newtowne" (Cam- 
bridge). 

Thomas' was allotted land March 6, 1636, and 
made a freeman the same year. A daughter, 
Susanna,' was born in June, 1637, of whom more 
below. A son, Thomas,' whose birth is not given, 
died Aug. 7, 1639, and his death is the seventh 
recorded in " Newtowne." 

* Johnson's "Wonder-working Providence," p. 77. 



12 The Blodarett Ancestors 



<b ' 



Thomas Blogget, the father, was apparently a 
man of some means. He conveyed a house and 
land in Garden Street in 1638, and also an estate 
in Dunstan Street in 1639. He died in 1642, 
and his will, dated loth August, 1641, was pro- 
bated in 1643. I^ w^^ ^" ^^ following terms : 

I, Thomas Blogget, being at this time in my right mind, 
give to my wife Susan my whole estate after my decease, 
as well within doors as without. She to bring vp my 
children in such learning & other things as is Meete for 
them, & pay oldest son Daniel ^15. when one and 
twenty, or in one month after decease. To my 2^ son 
Samuel £,\^. as above. To daughter Susanna ;£i5. 
Should they have a father-in-law who does not treat 
them well, my will is that the Deacons & our brother 
ffessington & our brother Edward Windship, they, or 
either of them, should have power to see unto it and 
reforme it by one means or other. 

Written this 10'^'^ day of 6*^^ month 1641* 

Thomas Blogget 
In presence of us 

Tho : Harris 

John Meena 

His widow married Feb. 15,1 644, James Thomp- 
son, of Woburn, Mass., and the daughter Susanna^ 
married Nov. 28, 1655, Jonathan Thompson, the 
son of her step-father. She had seven children, 

* In Old Style the year began March 25; this date is therefore equiv- 
alent to August loth. 



Of A sake I Blodgett 13 

and her oldest son Jonathan' Thompson, born 
Sept. 28, 1663, was the great-grandfather of Sir 
Benjamin*^ Thompson, knighted by George III, — 
the distinguished philosopher better known as 
Count Rumford. with which title he was honored 
by the King of Bavaria. He was born at Woburn, 
March 26, 1753, and died at Auteuil, near Paris, 
Aug. 21, 1 8 14, in his sixty-second year. The 
King of Bavaria honored his memory by a statue 
at Munich, a replica of which occupies a conspicu- 
ous site in front of the Public Library at Woburn, 
the gift of Marshall Tidd of that city. 

From the circumstance of their mother's mar- 
riage it is probable that the sons DanieP and 
Samuel' were brought up in Woburn, although 
there are no authentic data to confirm this proba- 
bility. On reaching maturity Samuel, the younger, 
married and settled permanently at Woburn, where 
his descendants became numerous, and whence 
went the first of the name to settle at Lexington 
and thence to Brimfield, Mass., to Stafford, Conn., 
Randolph, Vt., etc. 

Daniel,^ the elder son, who more nearly con- 
cerns our present interest, went a little further 
north and located in what became the West Parish 
of Chelmsford, Mass., set off in 1729 as the 
town of Westford. The plantation of Chelmsford 
was granted May 18, 1653, and incorporated May 
29, 1655. The first petitioners for the grant, 
twenty in number, were of Concord and Woburn, 



14 The B lodge It Ancestors 

and of these Daniel Bloggett of VVoburn was one. 
He married and settled there, and his descendants 
became numerous and prominent. A grandson. 
Joseph, was one of the first settlers of Notting- 
ham West, now Hudson, N. H. ; thence descend- 
ants went to Plymouth, Rumney and Dorchester, 
N. H. Another grandson, Benoni, was the founder 
of a numerous branch at Windsor, Conn. ; thence 
they went to Amherst, Mass., etc. By the begin- 
ning of the nineteenth century the family had 
become numerous and widely scattered. 

They were a patriotic race. They served in 
the French and Indian Wars ; at the siege and 
capture of Louisburg ; in the invasion of Canada ; 
and the names are preserved of more than one 
hundred Revolutionary soldiers. 

Many individuals have conferred honor and 
distinction on the name. Samuel' Blodgett filled 
many important offices in civil and military life in 
Massachusetts and New Hampshire. He was a 
friend and correspondent of Washington ; was 
called " The Pioneer of Progress ; " and was best 
known by his great enterprise — for the time — 
of completing a canal around Amoskeag Falls, at 
Manchester, N. H. His son, Samuel,^ Jr., served 
on the staff of Washington, and after the National 
Capital was projected on the banks of the Poto- 
mac, he was Chairman of the Commissioners to 
further the project ; he built the first house there ; 
and he furnished the first money ($io,"ooo), to- 



Of Asahel Blodgett 1 5 

wards laying the foundations of the Capitol and 
the President's house. 

In the eipfhth ofeneration there have been a 
United States Senator, a Judge of the United 
States District Court, a Chief Justice of the 
Supreme Court of one New England State, an 
eminent Judge of the Superior Court of another, 
a Publicist and Statistician of national reputation, 
a member of the New York Chamber of Com- 
merce ; and in the ninth generation, a Judge ol 
the Supreme Court of a third New England 
State. 

The name has been variously spelt. Genealog- 
ical records furnish not less than twenty-four va- 
riations, most of them, of course, the offspring of 
illiteracy ; one or two branches have adopted a 
fanciful termination, perhaps to make plausible 
the claim that it had a Huguenot origin, but there 
is no good ground for that; the family came from 
the eastern Counties of England. The original 
immigrant wrote the name Blogget, and that 
form prevailed for a century ; then Blodget was 
adopted, and about a hundred years ago, Blod- 
gett became the form followed by most of the 
name, and it is interesting to find from the "Visit- 
ations," i. e., the Heraldic Records of Suffolk and 
Norfolk, that this was the correct, and as far as 
observed, the only English spelling, as far back 
as 1561, long before the immigrant Thomas ar- 
rived in Boston. 



l6 TJic Blods;ett Ancestors 



i>' 



It only remains, in this preliminary sketch, to 
compile an abridged lineage of the ancestry of 
Asahel,^ of Hudson and Dorchester, N. H. 

Thomas,' aged 30. Immigrant of 1635. Wife 
Susan, aged 37, by the custom-house record, 
probably an error for 27. 

Children : 

i. Daniel,- born in England, 1631. 
ii. Samuel,^ born in England, 1633. 
iii. Susanna,^ born in Cambridge, Mass., June, 1637 ; 
married Nov. 28, 1655, Jonathan Thompson, 
of Woburn, born Nov. 28, 1635, son of her 
step-father James Thompson. She had seven 
children, and died Oct. 21, 1691. 
iv. Thomas,^ birth not stated; died Aug. 7, 1639. 

Daniel,'' son of Thomas' and Susan, born in 
England, 1631 ; died June 28, 1672, at Chelmsford, 
Mass. From the history of that town it appears 
that May 19, 1653, Daniel Bloggett was a signer 
to a petition "To the Hon. John Endicott, with 
others of the Hon. Magiftrates and deputies at 
the Hon. Court in Bofton AHembled," for laying 
out the town of Chelmsford. He appears to have 
been a prominent man, as his name repeatedly 
appears in the early history of the town. He 
was twice married, first, Sept. 15, 1653, to Mary, 
daughter of Benjamin Butterfield, by whom he 
had seven children, Thomas,^ Anna,^ Daniel,^ Ben- 



Of Asahel BloJgett ly 

jamin,^ Jonathan,^ Samuel, ^ and Nathaniel,-^ who 
died young. The wife Mary died Sept. 5, 1666, 
and he married second, March 10, 1669, Sarah, 
daughter of WilHam Underwood, by whom he had 
two sons, Nathaniel' (second) and William.^ 

Thomas,' son of Daniel- and Mary (Butterfield) 
Blodgett, born in Chelmsford, June 25, 1654. He 
probably died March 30, 1741, ae. 87."^'" He mar- 
ried first, " 29"' 4"' mo., 1682," Mary, daughter of 
Joseph Parkis, of Chelmsford, born Aug. 10, 1657, 
by whom he had three children, Rebecca,' Joseph,' 
Benoni.' He married second, July 8, 1696, Mary 
Druse, of Groton, Mass., by whom he had four 
children, John," Samuel,'' Mary,' Anne." 

Joseph," son of Thomas' and Mary (Parkis) 
Blodgett, born Oct. 10, 1689. ^^ removed 
about 1 710 from the West Parish of Chelmsford, 
set off in 1729 as the towm of Westford, to Not- 
tingham West, now Hudson, N. H., at a period 
so early that he had to live in a "garrison " for 
protection from Indians. The date of his mar- 
riage is not known, but it is probable that it was 
after the removal to Hudson, as in 17 10 he would 
have been but 2 1 years of age. He married 
Dorothy Perham, born July 9, 1696, a woman of 
marked ability. j By her he had eight children, 

* Westford Records. 

t See statement of her descendant, Hon. Caleb' Blodgett, Appendix A. 



1 8 The Blodgett Ancestors 

Joseph, 5 Ebenezer/ Jeremiah,' Abigail' Dorothy,^ 
Rebecca/ Jonathan,^ James.^ Of these, Ebenezer 
and James were among the early settlers of Ply- 
mouth, N. H. Joseph^ died Dec. 3, 1761, in his 
seventy- fourth year ; the wife Dorothy died March 
6, 1778, ae. 82. 

Jeremiah,^ son of Joseph^ and Dorothy (Per- 
ham) Blodgett, born in Hudson. July 20, 1721; 
died there in 1796; married Miriam Provender, 
born ; died May, 1800. 

In " New Hampshire Revolutionary and Colo- 
nial Records," vol. xvi : p. 909, is an interesting 
ftnXxy of him, which is quoted literally below : — 

A Muster Role of twenty four Men under the com- 
mand of John Goff, Jr., Scouting from Merry Mack 
River to Connecticut River began to Inlist the lo^*^ of 
S"" [October], 1745. 

rp. r . T-i- _■ • Time in service 

Tuneofentn- Dismissea ^^^^^ ^^^ 

Jeremh Blodget Oct. 15 Nov. 26 6 \ £\. yjs. 6d. 

Children : 

i. Jeremiah,^ born May 9, 175 1 ; he removed to 
Plymouth, where his uncles had previously 
settled, and married April 15, 1774, Lucy 
Nevins, and had a daughter, 
ii. Ebenezer,^ born Jan. 29, 1753; also removed to 
Plymouth, where he married May 19, 1775, his 
cousin Sarah,^ daughter of James. ^ She mar- 
ried second, in 1782, Andrew Hickok. These 



Of Asahel B lodge tt 19 

brothers, Jeremiah and Ebenezer, both joined 
the Revolutionary Army, and both died in 1776 
of a virulent fever which broke out in the camp 
at or near Ticonderoga, N. Y. Their father at 
Hudson, hearing of their sickness, started on 
horseback to visit them, but when he arrived at 
the camp both were dead and buried. The 
father appears to have carried home the con- 
tagion, as a younger daughter and son died of 
the same fever in the early months of 1777. 

Strangely enough, the name of Ebenezer 
alone appears in New Hampshire Revolutionary 
War Rolls, — a circumstance for which the 
present compiler, who is the grandson of their 
brother, is unable to account ; but the famil)- 
tradition is too direct and clear to admit of a 
doubt that Jeremiah was also in the army and 
died in the service, 
iii. As.\HEL,^ born June 19, 1755. (Sec his lineage, 

forward.) 
iv. Hannah,^ born Sept. 24, 1757; married Oct. 31, 

1776, Stephen Chase, Jr., and died at Topsham, 

Vt., about 1845. 
V. Sarah,^ born May 16, 1760; died Feb., 1777. 
vi. Isaac,'' born May 2, 1762; died Jan. 21, 1777, 

shortly after the death of his brothers in the 

army, 
vii. Beniah,^ born March 3, 1765 ; married Betsey 

Hamblet, and removed to Dorchester, N. H., 

where he died Jan., 1830. No issue. 



PART II 



ASAHEL BLODGETT 



AND 



HIS DESCENDANTS 



^ 



ASAHEL BLODGETT 



AND 



HIS DESCENDANTS 




)SAHEL BLODGETT, in the sixth 
generation of the family in Amer- 
ica, was the third son and child 
of Jeremiah^ and Miriam (Pro- 
vender) Blodgett. He was born 
in Nottingham West, now Hud- 
son, N. H.,June 19, 1755. The family was one of 
prominence and influence in a community where 
the simple manners and rugged features of the 
early New England life contributed to the devel- 
opment of sterling traits of character. The op- 
portunities for education were very meagre, and 
the brief terms of the town schools seldom per- 
mitted any advance beyond " the three primary 
R*s." He grew up on the paternal farm and 
arrived at manhood in the early part of the Revo- 
lutionary War. Two older brothers died in the 



24 A sake I B lodge tt 

service, as stated in the preliminary sketch. (See 
ante.) 

AsaheP entered the service in December, 1776, 
as appears by the following record in New Hamp- 
shire War Rolls, Vol. i : page 438 : — 

CAPT. WILLIAM WALKER's COMPANY. 

Muster Roll of 42 men raised out of the fifth regi- 
ment Militia in the State of New Hampshire by an order 
of Maj. Gen. Folsom, of Dec. 7, 1776, to rehiforce the 
Continental Army at New York until the first of March, 
1777. 

This order appears to have been issued in ac- 
cordance with the following : — 



'fc> 



COL. DAVID oilman's REGIMENT, 1 776. 

In answer to a call from Gen. Washington the Legis- 
lature Voted, Dec. 4, 1776 : "That 500 men be draught- 
ed from the several Regiments in the State .... and 
sent to New York. The cause of this call was that the 
time of service of the troops in garrison at Fort George 
and Ticonderoga would expire the last day of Dec, and 
if their places are not filled those posts would fall into 
the hands of Gen, Sir Guy Carlton." 

In a Monthly Company Return his name ap- 
pears as follows : 

One Month's Pay ^'^|,'*{r^S k° Total amount paid 

Asahel Blodgett 3. 2.2 £t. 7.S. 

" He was taken sick with a fever soon after arriving at 
Fishkill, N. Y., and getting a fudough went to Danbury, 



A7id His Descendants 25 

Conn., where he remained until his short term of service, 
three months, was out." 

He does not appear to have entered the army 
again, and as he was the only surviving son old 
enoiio-h to manaofe affairs he remained at home 
with his parents, and for their support received 
the Homestead farm. His father Jeremiah,^ died 
in 1796, aged 75, and his mother, Miriam Pro- 
vender, in May. 1800. He built a house on the 
ancestral place, which his son Caleb^ described 
somewhat as follows, to his son, the late Judge 
Caleb^ Blodgett of Boston, from whom the present 
writer received it. 

The house was a one-story, frame structure, a 
cellar under the whole. A door in the centre of 
the front side opened into an entry from which 
access was had to the large rooms, one on either 
side. A huge chimney in the centre had a fire- 
place in each room, large enough to burn 4-foot 
wood. There was a brick oven at the side of the 
fireplace in the kitchen and living room. A pan- 
try, or buttery as it was called, occupied the space 
behind the chimney, opposite to the entr}' in 
front. The cooking was done over the open 
wood fire ; a big crane, with swinging connec- 
tions, was attached to one side of the fireplace, 
and from it depended hooks of graduated lengths, 
from which hung, as occasion requir(^d, the vari- 
ous pots and kettles of the kitchen service. The 



26 Asahel B lodge tt 

shovel and tongs, of ponderous proportion, with 
which the fire was adjusted, leaned against the 
chimney jamb. Once a week the big oven was 
heated and a week's supply of bread and pies 
baked, and the traditional pot of New England 
beans was seldom omitted. The furniture and 
furnishings of the house were primitive and sim- 
ple. A high, corded bedstead supported the 
straw and feather bed in universal use. Linen 
sheets were used in summer, while woolen sheets 
of home-made flannel were found more agreeable 
for winter ; a heavy comforter was added for 
warmth, and a patchwork quilt covered the whole. 
The tables and chairs were of the plainest de- 
scription. The chairs in common use were such 
as may even now be seen in old country homes, — 
of turned posts, a high straight back, the seat of 
basket-work,— - the whole very durable and very 
uncomfortable. The broom must have mention. 
To a stout handle hemlock twigs of proper length 
were bound in successive layers by winding a cord 
round their stems until proper dimensions were 
reached, when the cord was securely tied. A 
broom made in this way did very good work and 
lasted some weeks. Below the kitchen ceiling 
poles were suspended, where the housewife hung 
her skeins of yarn to dry, after scouring ; and in 
the autumn the circlets of pumpkins and the 
strings of quartered apples were hung to dry for 
winter use. 



And His Descendants. 27 

Over the lower rooms was an open garret, 
broken only by the great chimney ; here the older 
children slept, and here the corn was spread to 
dry in the fall. 

The roof of the house was shingled, but the 
outside walls were simply feather-edged boards 
nailed to the frame. It was not clap-boarded on 
the outside, nor was it lathed and plastered on 
the inside ; so that only an inch of pine board 
protected the inmates from the rigor of a New 
Encrland winter. And this was one of the best 
houses in the town. It illustrates the manner of 
life among New England farmers three genera- 
tions ago. 

In 1805 Asahel sold his farm at Hudson and 
bought one at Dorchester, whither he removed in 
the spring of 1806. For the motives and results 
of this removal see the statement of his son Caleb,=' 
Appendix A. 

The present compiler visited Hudson in the 
autumn of 1902, and could not help wondering 
how his grandfather left so beautiful a town to 
settle at Dorchester. The site of the garrison 
house which the first ancestor in Hudson erected 
was visited. Since that visit this site has, through 
the public spirit of Kimball Webster, Esq., the 
historian and antiquarian of Hudson, been appro- 
priately marked by a boulder bearing a bronze 
tablet, inscribed : 



28 Asahel Blodgett 

Site of Blodgett Garrison House. 

Joseph and Dorothy Blodgett: 

Their oldest son Joseph born here Feb. 9, 17 18, 

being the first white child born in the town. 

Kimball Webster, 1904. 

The compiler also visited the ancient " Blod- 
gett Cemetery," where many of the name are in- 
terred. A white marble slab of modern design 
marks the graves of these immediate relatives, 
and is inscribed as follows : 

CATHERINE, 

wife of 

ASAHEL BLODGETT, 

died dec. 20, 1795 

iET. 34 YRS. 

CATHERINE, 
died dec. 10, 1805, 

/ET. 23 YRS. 

ISAAC, 

died OCT. 29, 1 816, 
iET. 29 YRS. 

SON & daughter of 

ASAHEL AND CATHERINE 
BLODGETT. 

In these days of strenuous modern life, in the 
marvelous development of material forces, when 
the express train carries the traveler as many 
miles in an hour as he could accomplish in a day's 



And His Descendants. 29 

travel in the olden time ; when the movvinq^ ma- 
chine in the field and the sewing machine in the 
house have so greatly reduced the ordinary labors 
of a rural community, it is interesting and sugges- 
tive to recall the conditions and environments in 
which our ancestors lived in Hudson and Dor- 
chester a hundred years ago. 

In 1800, when the Union comprised 17 States, 
with a population of 5,300,000, there were but 
five steam engines in the United States, and their 
joint capacity would not equal the power that 
propels an Atlantic liner at the present day. 
Steamboats had not passed beyond the experi- 
mental stage ; there was not a mile of railroad 
nor a locomotive in existence. It was a good 
day's travel from Hudson to Boston ; it was four 
days from Boston to New York, It was nearly 
half a century before the telegraph annihilated 
distance, and three quarters of a century before 
the telephone enabled the resident of Hutison to 
hold conversation with a distant friend. Life at 
that remote period would seem monotonous and 
dull even to the resident of the country town at 
the present day. Now the thrifty farmer of Hud- 
son receives, by rural delivery, the daily city 
papers which keep him in touch with all the hap- 
penings of the world. He lives in a house with 
comforts and conveniences that the city aristocrat 
did not have a hundred years ago. His wife has 
a sewing machine which greatly lightens her 



30 Asahel Blodgett 

labor. His daughters, perhaps, have a piano in 
the parlor, and magazines and fashion plates on 
their tables. When he rides abroad he enjoys 
a top buggy and a silver-plated harness. 

The century which has elapsed since the time 
we are considering has been emphatically the age 
of mechanical invention. The wonderful devel- 
opment of machinery has changed the whole 
course of industrial effort, and in many instances, 
enabled one man to do the work of ten under 
the old methods of hand labor. In 1800 cut 
nails had not been invented ; a wrought nail, 
made by hand, could only be used by first boring 
a hole with a gimlet in which to drive it. A 
carpenter was an artisan ; he must be able to 
" lay out" and plan the frame of a building which 
involved considerable mechanical skill ; he must 
also be able to make a paneled door and even the 
window sashes, — work now wholly done by ma- 
chinery in large establishments. 

Under similar conditions the blacksmith re- 
ceived his iron in large, solid bars, which he split 
and laboriously forged into such forms as he 
required. Every little bolt, and even the nails 
which fastened the shoe to the hoof of the horse 
or the ox, were made by hand, one at a time. 
And so through the whole range of the mechanic 
arts, as far as there were any mechanic arts. 
Some of those products of the country black- 
smiths, such as hoes and hay- forks, lingered on 



And His Descendants. 31 

the old farms until a period within the memory 
of the present compiler, who has vivid recollec- 
tions of their weight and clumsiness. 

It has already been shown what a farmer's 
house was in 1800. It was a winter's work to 
cut and haul wood for a year's supply. Oxen 
were exclusively used for farm work. All farming 
implements were heavy and clumsy ; hay was cut 
with the scythe, and rye and oats with the sickle, 
and threshed with the flail. 

But if the man's work was hard, the woman's 
was more exacting. Beyond the daily routine 
of household cares which never end, there was 
the dairy work, now commonly delegated to the 
"creameries;" but the clothing for the family, 
however numerous, was a heavier burden. The 
farm furnished flax for summer and wool for win- 
ter use, and it was the feminine province of wife 
and grown-up daughters, if there were such — 
sometimes, of necessity, reinforced by neighbors' 
daughters — to card and spin and weave the cloth 
with which the family were to be clothed. The 
woolen fabrics were sometimes dyed at home and 
sometimes sent to the fulling-mill to be dyed, 
scoured and finished. The garments were, of 
necessity, made by hand ; there were no sewing 
machines in those days of primitive methods. 
The women made their own a-arments and the 
men's every-day clothes, but in the case of the 
man's Sunday suit, assistance was had from the 



32 Asahel Blodgett 

professional tailoress, who came with her shears 
and press-board and goose. It was before the 
days of " shoddy," and the home-made woolen 
fabrics were always substantial and sometimes 
handsome. 

The writer plainly remembers his father's wed- 
ding '* surtout," with graduated capes, which re- 
mained in evidence until the boy was well grown ; 
it was made from cloth spun, woven and dyed by 
the father's sisters so late as 1825. The fabric 
would be creditable to a modern woolen mill, 
though the garment would be thought peculiar 
and picturesque. 

Specimens of home-made table linen are still 
prized by the granddaughters &,nd great-grand- 
daughters of that period, which were creditable 
alike in design and execution. Shoes for both 
sexes were usually made in the homes by the 
itinerant shoe-maker, who came, as occasion re- 
quired, to make shoes for the family. 

The average farmer's family, a hundred years 
ago, was very frugal ; they produced nearly every- 
thing they consumed. The staple articles of food 
were brown bread, — that is, of corn and rye 
mixed, — beans, peas, potatoes, and a moderate 
amount of meat, mostly salted. Tea and coffee 
were not used to any considerable extent ; roasted 
peas and crust coffee were frequently used in- 
stead. Their maple orchards furnished sugar. 
Cider was a home product and universally used. 



And His Descendants 33 

A man's standing in the community was not im- 
paired by the moderate use of New England rum. 
The family also had to buy salt, a few spices, per- 
haps a little calico and coarse cotton cloth, and 
not much else. The opportunities for mental im- 
provement or recreation were limited. They went 
to meeting on Sunday, as a matter of course, and 
heard two sermons, usually of a doctrinal char- 
acter ; during the noon hour the men gathered in 
groups outside the meeting-house and discussed 
the weather, the crops and politics ; while inside, 
the women talked of matters of more interest to 
the feminine mind. 

Of books they possessed very few ; the Bible, 
of course ; very likely the " Pilgrim's Progress," 
and probably Fox's " Book of Martyrs," and 
Josephus's "War of the Jews." The " Farmers' 
Almanac " always hung in a conspicuous position 
and was consulted with great regularity. The 
weekly newspaper of moderate size was just 
coming in, but at the period we are considering 
had not attained great circulation or influence ; 
but what these people read they remembered ; 
they had ample time for reflection, and were men 
of decided convictions and of earnest purposes. 
If lacking in worldly wisdom and the refinements 
of society, they developed those hardy and rugged 
traits of character common to the inhabitants of 
New England while they remained a homogeneous 
people, and which exercised so potent an influ- 



34 Asahel Blodgett 

ence in moulding our institutions in the first half 
century after the adoption of the Federal Consti- 
tution. 

Such were the people among whom Asahel 
Blodgett dwelt, and such the environment in 
which his large family of eight sons and five 
daughters were reared, ten of whom lived to at- 
tain an average, within a fraction, of four-score 
years, and three died under thirty. 

He married, first, Dec. 13, 1781, Catherine, 
daughter of Ebenezer and Abigail Pollard, born 
June 12, 1 76 1. Their children were: 

I. Catherine,? born Nov. 24, 1782; died Dec. 
10, 1805 ; unmarried. 
+ II. AsAHEL,7 born May 15, 1784; died April 11, 

1863. 
-f III. Ebenezer,7 born Jan. 14, 1786; died March 
19, 1870. 
IV. IsAAC,7 born Aug. 12, 1787; died Oct. 29, 

1816 ; unmarried. 
V. SiBYL,7 born Nov. 13, 1789; died in Dorches- 
ter, March 6, 1863; unmarried. 
VI. Lois,7 born Feb. 17, 1792 ; married about 1845, 
Wales Dole, of Canaan, N. H. No issue. 
She died at Wentworth, N.H., June 6, 1877, 
and was interred in "Blodgett Cemetery," 
Dorchester. 
-f VII. Caleb,? born Dec. 13, 1793 ; died Oct. 5, 1872. 

The wife, Catherine, died Dec. 20, 1795, and 
was interred in the " Blodgett Cemetery" in Hud- 



A7id His Descendants. 35 

son. He married, second, "in 1796 or 1797," 
Lois Pollard, sister of his first wife, born Aug. 18, 
1771. Their children were : 

-1-VIII. RuFUS,7 born Nov. 12, 1798; died March 20, 

1881. 
IX. LuciNDA,? born Nov. 18, 1800; died at Went- 

vvorth, Aug. 9, 1879; unmarried; interred 

in " Blodgett Cemetery," Dorchester. 
-|- X. Abner,7 born Dec. 5, 1802; died Oct. 5, 1889, 

at Wentworth, and interred there. 
XI. Beniah,7 born April 25, 1804; died April 8, 

1817 ; interred at Dorchester. 
-\- XII. Jeremiah,7 born March 10, 1806 ; died Aug. 

2, 1 88 1, at New Haven, Conn. ; interred at 

Wentworth . 
XIII. Betsey,? born May 10, 1810; died Feb. 23, 

1892, at Wentworth ; unmarried ; interred in 

" Blodgett Cemetery," Dorchester. 

All except Betsey were born in Hudson ; she 
was born after his removal to Dorchester. He 
died at Dorchester, June 2, 1842, and was buried 
in " Blodgett Cemetery," about one mile north- 
west from the Town House. 

Of the character of the subject of this sketch, 
one of his grandsons, Hon. Rufus Blodgett, of 
New Jersey, writes : — 

I remember our grandfather quite distinctly, though I 
was but eight years old at the time of his death. As I 
recall him he was a man of stern nature, very firm convic- 



36 Asahel Blodgett 

tions, and, so far as I have been able to judge, of strict 
integrity. It is possible he possessed more native talent 
than any of his descendants, .... but they, both male 
and female, were a strong people intellectually, though 
they lacked early education and business training 



ig- 



The compiler of these pages, when eight years 
old, made a winter trip of two hundred miles in 
an open sleigh, with his father, to visit the grand- 
father, then eighty-one years of age, and vividly 
recalls his patriarchal appearance as he sat before 
the great open fire, with a red flannel cap on his 
head. To the statement that he was an austere 
man the writer can readily agree, for he remem- 
bers but one remark addressed to him during the 
visit of two or three weeks : "So you have come 
to see Grandsir, have you ? " Not all grandfathers 
in these days are so undemonstrative. But his 
children always regarded him with affectionate 
respect ; they addressed him, and spoke of him 
to each other, as " Sir." 

In personal appearance, and perhaps in mental 
traits as well, his first two sons most resembled 
him. That he was a man of marked natural 
abilities can hardly admit of question, for among 
his children were several of strong character, who, 
under more favorable conditions as to education 
and environment, would have been eminent. As 
it was, it may be fairly said that in both Hudson 
and Dorchester no family was more prominent 
and influential. 



FAMILY OF ASAHEL. 




SAHEL^ son of AsaheP and Catherine 
(Pollard) Blodgett, born in Hudson, 
N. H., May 15, 1784; died in Dor- 
chester, N. H,, April II, 1863. He 
was a farmer; married, about 1804, 
Polly, daughter of Phineas and Martha (Hamblet) 
Blodeett, born in Hudson, Dec. 20, 1781 ; died 
Nov. 17, 1862. He removed to Dorchester about 
1806, and resided there until his death. He was 
a man of strong individuality, as liberally en- 
dowed by nature, perhaps, as any member of his 
father's family, but circumstances and environ- 
ment were unfavorable to the development of 
his natural abilities, and most of his life was 
spent in the profitless labor of clearing up and 
bringing into cultivation a large farm in one of 
the poorest towns of his native State. It is a 
curious fact, illustrating the decadence of farm 
property in the hill towns of New Hampshire, 
that his farm, consisting of about three hundred 
acres, including an ample wood lot, a sugar or- 



38 Asahel Blodgett 

chard, and a considerable amount of standing 
timber ; the arable portion well cleared of stones 
and enclosed by stone walls ; a well-constructed 
farm-house in good repair, painted outside and 
inside, supplied with flowing water from a spring 
on the hillside ; a good wood-shed and piggery ; 
a barn large enough to hold fifty tons of hay and 
to house a dozen cattle, were all sold by his 
grandson in 1890 for one thousand dollars, — a 
sum which would not replace the house alone. 
His descendants were : 

I. Elias,^ born in Hudson, Aug. 9, 1805. A farmer. 
He married June 8, 1830, Melinda, daughter of 
Levi and Betsey (Farrar) Clement, born in 
Plainfield, N. H., Aug. 18, 18 10. He resided 
in Dorchester, and died there Aug. 6, 185 1. 
His widow married Wolcott Dana, of Went- 
worth, and died in that town, Feb. 23, 1905. 
His children, born in Dorchester, were : 

i. Mary Elizabeth,^ born Oct. 30, 1835 ; married 
Sept. 25, 1866, Fred Simonds; she died May i, 
1867. 
ii. Elias Milton,9 born Aug. 5, 1838; married May 
26, 1861, Wealthy W., daughter of Joseph and 
Mary (Austen) Leavett, born in Alexandria, N. 
H., Dec. 14, 1836. They had: 

a. Herbert Z.,'°born in Dorchester, Jan. 15, 1872 ; 
married Nov. 16, 1898, Ardella Florence, 
daughter of George Henry and Martha (Fos- 
ter) Brown. They have a son, Chester Merle," 
born May 25, 1900. 



And His Descendants 39 

iii. Charles Byron,^ born Aug. 23, 1840. He was 
a mechanic ; he married Aug. 26, 1863, Marcia, 
daughter of Charles and Susan (Batchelder) 
Avery. They had : 

a. Ida M.,^° born in Hill, N. H., Aug. 26, 1869. 

b. Charles If.,'° born in Hill, April 20, 1874. 

iv. John Scott,^ born Dec. 21, 1845. A carpenter; 
he died of pneumonia at Plymouth, N. H., Jan. 
14, 1902. He married a widow, Mrs. Mosher, 
who had several children ; he had no issue. 

II. AsAHEL,^born in Dorchester, Nov. lo, 1813 ; died 
there Jan. 23, 1878. A farmer. He was edu- 
cated in the public schools and at New Hamp- 
ton Institution. He became one of the most 
useful and prominent citizens of his native town. 
For a period of thirty years he filled success- 
ively about every office in the gift of his fellow 
townsmen. He was a representative to the 
State Legislature in 1854-5 ; selectman, 18 50-1 : 



Errata on page 38. 
Children of ii. Elias Milton^ Blodgett should be 

a. Herbert L.,^° horn in Dorchester, June i, 1868; 

died in Wentworth, May 12, 1894. 

b. Fred J^.,'° born in Dorchester, Jan. 15, 1872; 

married Nov. 16, 1898, Ardella Florence, 
daughter of George Henry and Martha (Fos- 
ter) Brown. They have a son, Chester Merle," 
born May 25, 1900. 



40 A sake I B lodge tt 

I. Afary Belle Mar tin, ^° born Sept. 24, 1882. 

iii. AsAHEL,9 born Dec. 26, 1843. A farmer; he mar- 
ried Sept. 22, 1889, Monira B., daughter of 
Josiah R. and Rachel C. (Smith) Plumer, of 
Hebron. He resided in Dorchester, and about 
1890 removed to Ashland, Mass. No issue. 

iv. Catherine P.9 [Kate], born Aug. 29, 1847. ^he 
was educated at the New Hampton Institution, 
and was for many years an able and successful 
teacher at Concord, N. H. ; unmarried. 

V. Elias Murray^ (known as "Murray E,"), born 
May 30, 1850; died at Concord, Nov. 9, 1903. 
A mechanic ; resided at Dorchester and Con- 
cord; unmarried. 

vi. George A.,9 born Oct. 5, 1855. A physician^ edu- 
cated at Dartmouth and Harvard Medical Schools. 
He married Nov. 28, 1883, Ellen Grace Hazel- 
tine. He died Jan. 18, 1889. No issue. 





FAMILY OF EBENEZER/ 




BENEZER/ son of Asahel'' and Cath- 
erine (Pollard) Blodf^ett, was born 
in Hudson, N. H. (then Nottingham 
West), Jan. 14, 1786. He removed 
with his father's family in March, 
1806, to Dorchester, N. H., where he co-operated 
with his father and brothers in clearing off the 
forest and bringing into cultivation a large farm, 
which proved of sterile soil, in one of the poorest 
townships of the State. For a few years after the 
clearing up of the land good crops of corn, pota- 
toes and rye were obtained, but after the stimu- 
lating effect of the ashes had ceased, it was found 
cold and unproductive. Like many other young 
men in those days, after coming of age, he went 
" down country " and for a time worked in and 
about Boston ; but his home was in Dorchester, 
and here he married, June 21, 1827, Sally Cheever, 
born in Danvers, Mass., Nov. 29, 1800. She was 
the daughter of Nathan and Mehitable (Porter) 



42 Asahel Blodgett 

Cheever, and, through her father, directly de- 
scended from Ezekiel Cheever, " the celebrated 
schoolmaster" of Boston, and, through her mother, 
from the Porter family of Essex County. 

In conjunction with his brother Caleb, he built 
a house near his father's, and about half a mile 
north of the present town house in Dorchester ; 
the house was burned several years since. His 
residence there was brief, however. Business 
reverses impelled him to seek a new home, and 
after some wandering he settled at Fort Coving- 
ton, Franklin County, New York, then a com- 
paratively new country. Thither his wife went to 
join him in the winter of 1829-30, a distance of 
two hundred miles, travelling in an open sleigh 
in the rigors of a northern winter, and carrying 
her infant son, then about twenty months old ; a 
daughter was born to them in 1831. He con- 
tinued to reside at Fort Covington until 1845, 
following his occupation as farmer. For a time 
he was town constable, and one year collector of 
taxes. 

In 1845 family ties and influences drew him 
back to New Hampshire, and he lived, 1845 to 
1847, i" Dorchester, and from 1848 to 1870 in 
Rumney, where he died, March 19 of the latter 
year, aged 84 years, 2 months, 5 days. His wife 
died Nov. 23, 1886, lacking but six days of com- 
pleting eighty-six years, at New Hampton, N. H., 
where she spent the last years of her life, a mem- 



And His Descendants 43 

ber of her daughter's family. The remains of 
both repose in the village cemetery at Rumney. 

It may be permitted to filial affection to record 
in this brief memorial a few words of ^rateful 
tribute to the memory of beloved parents. 

The father had no opportunities for early edu- 
cation beyond those afforded by a few weeks 
annually in the district school in a small New 
England town at the end of the eighteenth cen- 
tury ; but his family was a prominent one in the 
town of his birth, as well as that where his early 
manhood was passed, and he had the advantage 
of a pious ancestry and healthy family influences. 
In early life he became a professed Christian, and 
in May, 181 1, he was baptized by the Rev. Mr. 
Bridgeman and united with the Baptist Church 
in Canaan, a town adjoining Dorchester, where 
he resided. On the formation of a church in 
Dorchester he became a member of it, and was 
made a deacon in 18 19. Through all his subse- 
quent life his religion was his inspiration and 
guide and solace. Orthodox, Calvinistic, and lit- 
eral in his understanding of the written Word, as 
befitted the times, and rigid in his construction of 
Scripture, he was naturally charitable and tolerant 
in his judgment of others, and never indulged in 
invective towards those of a different faith. In 
his old age he ripened and mellowed in his relig- 
ious views, so that he came to regard those who 
differed from him with a degree of tolerance that 



44 Asahel Blodgett 

was hardly consistent with his earHer views. He 
was a careful student of the Bible and of religious 
literature, especially that relating to his own de- 
nomination, so that he became a power in the 
church to which he belonged, and, in a sense, a 
theologian to whom even clergymen came for 
information and counsel. Duty was his watch- 
word. Until the infirmities of age prevented, he 
was a constant attendant on the public worship 
of the Sabbath ; and after he had passed the 
"three score and ten" years of the Psalmist, he 
frequently walked four miles to and from the 
third service, and it was seldom that he did not 
take an active part in the prayer-meeting, speak- 
ing from a warm heart and ripe experience. He 
was for many years the senior deacon of the 
Baptist Church in Rumney. Always in straitened 
circumstances as to this world's goods, he was 
rich in the respect of his neighbors and the affec- 
tion of his family. 

The mother was more favored as to early edu- 
cation, and had a natural facility for acquiring 
knowledge, and a retentive memory which treas- 
ured it. In early life she was a school teacher. 
She had a natural fondness for literature and 
great facility of expression. Some papers are 
still extant, chiefly written in connection with 
church work, which show considerable literary 
ability ; but after her marriage, the life of a plain 
farmer's wife gave little opportunity for the exer- 



And His Descendants 45 

cise of that talent beyond that which famiHar and 
family correspondence permitted. Her letters 
were models in their way, seldom equalled in 
these days of hurried and careless writing. 

Soon after her marriage she made a public 
profession of religion and united with the Con- 
gregational Church in Dorchester, being baptized, 
by immersion, by the pastor, the Rev. Increase S. 
Davis. At Fort Covington, and in all her sub- 
sequent life, she and her husband were members 
of the Baptist denomination. Deeply religious in 
all her instincts, a naturally cheerful and charita- 
ble temperament made her a model wife and 
mother, discreet, gentle, patient and affectionate. 
She lived until within a few days of her eighty- 
sixth birthday ; and although the last years were 
marked by physical infirmities and weakness, her 
mind remained clear and her mental force un-^ 
abated. She quietly passed away, leaving to her 
children and children's children and friends a fra- 
grant memory and a bright example of Christian 
character. 

They were kind and indulgent, yet discreet, 
parents. They recognized the importance of 
education, and made sacrifices to give their chil- 
dren the best that their limited means and oppor- 
tunities permitted ; and the modest monument 
which marks their resting-place in the village 
cemetery at Rumney bears this inscription : — 



46 A sake I B lodge tt 

EBENEZER BLODGETT 

BORN JAN. 14, 1786 — DIED MAR, 19, 1870. 
AND HIS WIFE 

SALLY CHEEVER, 

BORN NOV. 29, 1800 — DIED NOV. 23, 1 886. 
The Memory of the Just is blessed. 

On reverse : 

TO THE MEMORY 

OF 

BELOVED PARENTS. 

Their children : 

I. Isaac Dimond,^ born in Dorchester, N. H., May 
II, 1828. Merchant, of Boston and New York. 
When he was less than two years old his parents 
removed to Fort Covington, Franklin County, 
N. Y., and there his school days were passed. 
In addition to the opportunities afforded by the 
common district school, he enjoyed several terms 
at the Fort Covington Academy, beginning when 
he was nine years old, and remaining, intermit- 
tently, until he was fifteen, amounting in all to 
perhaps two years' attendance. In 1 844, when 
he was sixteen, his family returned to New 
Hampshire. The season of 1845 he assisted 
his father in carrying on a large and sterile 
farm in Dorchester. The following winter, when 
he was in his eighteenth year, he taught two 
district schools, and "boarded round," in the 
adjoining town of Groton, with such success 
that he was invited to take both schools again 



And His Descendants 47 

the following year ; but on May 6, 1 846, he be- 
gan his mercantile experience in a country store 
at Wentworth, N. H., where he remained nearly 
four years. In 1850 and part of 185 1 he was 
clerk in a dry-goods store at Salmon Falls and 
Great Falls, N. H. In October, 185 1, he went 
to Boston, Mass., and entered a wholesale dry- 
goods house as salesman, in which relation he 
continued several years. In 1861 the firm of 
Sweetser, Swan & Blodgett was formed, and 
from that date, for twenty-three years, he was 
in business in Boston in various connections. 
In this period occurred two panics and the great 
fire of 1872, entailing great loss, but not pre- 
venting him from meeting his obligations in 
full. In 1884 he removed to New York, and 
became connected with large mercantile inter- 
ests which continued fourteen years. Upon 
reaching his seventieth year, and after fifty-one 
years of arduous mercantile experience, he re- 
tired from active business, and, drawn by family 
ties, returned to the vicinity of Boston. 

It may be briefly noted that he was one of 
the original members of the Boston Young Men's 
Christian Association at its formation in 1852. 
He was an original member of the Merchants' 
Association, and served on leading committees. 

In New York he was a member of the New 
York Chamber of Commerce, a relation which 
he continued after his return to Massachusetts ; 
a member of the New England Society, of the 
Republican Club, and of the Metropolitan Mu- 
seum of Art. 



48 Asahel B lodge tt 

In Boston he is a member of the New Eng- 
land Historic Genealogical Society. He mar- 
ried, March i6, 1855, Mary L., daughter of 
Major John B. and Statira (Goodwin) Went- 
worth, of Rollinsford, N. H.* They had : 

i. Charles Willi am,9 born in Boston, Sept. 14, 1856. 
Merchant, of Boston ; married May 29, 1900, 
Mabel Constance, born Dec. ir, 187 1, daughter 
of N. Denton and Harriet Emmons (Shelton) 
Smith, of New York. They had : 

I. Em7nons lVeni7vorth,^° born in Brookline, Mass., 
June 22, 1901 ; baptized by Rev. Dr. Reuen 
Thomas, April 6, 1902. 

ii. Harriett Maria,9 born in Boston, April 22, 1859, 

iii. Frederick Sweetser,^ born in Boston, Nov. 24, 

1865 ; married Nov. 23, 1899, Mae, born Nov. 

8, 1875, daughter of Martin V. B. and Hannah 

Putman, of Canton, 111. They had : 

i. Wentworth Putnam,^° born in Brookline, Jan. 31, 
1901 ; baptized at West Newton by the Rev. 
Dr. Theodore P. Prudden, June 8, 1902. 

ii. Frederick Newlon,^° born in West Newton, March 
26, 1903. 

III. Sarah Porter,^ born in Fort Covington, N. Y., 
Oct. II, 1 83 1 ; married in Rumney, N. H., Nov. 
25, 1855, John L. Davis, of Plymouth, N. H., 
born Jan. 28, 1828. He was for several years 
a teacher at Milton and Peabody, Mass. About 
1865 they removed to Rumney, and lived on 
the paternal farm, caring for her parents in their 

* See Wentworth Genealogy. 



And His Descendants 49 

declining years. About 1877 they removed to 
New Hampton, where he died March 18, 1886. 
She died of acute bronchitis, Jan. 9, 1898. Both 
are interred in the village cemetery at Rumney. 
Their children : 

. Frank Lovell Davis,9 born in Milton, Mass., Feb. 
2, 1857 ; married April 15, 1886, Belle Spaulding. 
They had one child : 

a. Herbert Charles Davis,^° born April 12, 1888; 

died the same day. 

. Gertrude M. Davis,9 born in Milton, Oct. 13, 

1861 ; married Dec. 22, 1898, Benaiah S. George, 

born Dec. 11, 1832 ; residence, Lakeport, N. H. 

,. Charles Holden Davis,9 born in Rumney, June 

27, 187 1 ; married April, 1900, Mzxy Kelley. 



^^^^' 




After the sheets of this little work were printed, but 
before they had gone into the hands of the binder, I was 
called to meet the most grievous sorrow of my life in the 
unexpected death of a dear son, and as this Lineage is in- 
tended, chiefly, for family distribution, parental affection 
impels me to insert, although in irregular order, a brief 
Tribute to the memory of one who as son, brother, hus- 
band and father, was loyal and affectionate, and in all the 
relations of an active business life, was honored and re- 
spected. 

I. D. B. 




3n ilTemoriam 



CHARLES WILLIAM BLODGETT. 




HARLES WILLIAM9 BLODGETT was 
born in Boston, September 14, 1856, the 
son of Isaac D.^ and Mary L. (Went- 
worth) Blodgett, inheriting through both 
parents the traditions and characteristics 
of the early settlers of New England, as well as what- 
ever of honor or prestige attaches to Revolutionary ser- 
vice. 

His childhood was uneventful, though his ardent tem- 
perament and natural flow of spirits made him an active 
participant in all boyish sports. His summer vacations 
were always spent at his grandfather's farm in New 
Hampshire, where he imbibed that love of country life 
which impelled him in later years, for many successive 
seasons, to go to the woods and lakes of Maine for his 
annual vacations. He was an apt scholar: — when eight 



49^5 Iti Memoriam 

years old he accompanied his father to church one even- 
ing, and from the tablets on the wall committed to mem- 
ory the Ten Commandments, which he repeated correctly 
after returning home. In recognition of this he re- 
ceived from his father a handsome Bible, appropriately 
marked. Many years later that Bible, packed in a trunk 
with other personal effects, was subjected to the ordeal 
of fire in the loft of his store, and the father, who ac- 
companied him in the examination of the trunk, recalls 
his expressions of pleasure when he found the Bible had 
been spared, although the binding was considerably in- 
jured by the heat. 

At fourteen he graduated from the Dwight Grammar 
School, at the head of his class ; a few months before 
his eighteenth birthday, he graduated from the English 
High School, again as "Number One," which place he 
had maintained, without a lapse, for the two years pre- 
ceding. 

In 1875 he began his business education with his 
father's firm, Blodgett, Hidden & Swan, and continued 
with that firm and its successors until its dissolution in 
December, 1883. A new firm was organized January i, 
1884, in which he was a partner. His application to 
business was so intense that his health gave way, and in 
1886 he made a brief trip to Europe for rest and recre- 
ation, and after his return was compelled to take a long 
vacation ; but he never entirely recovered his former 
buoyancy and vigor ; tired nerves and headaches com- 
pelled him to take liberal vacations. 

In 189 s a reorganization of the business brought him 
to the head of the firm of Blodgett, Ordway & Webber, 



Charles William Blodgett. 4gc 

and in the eleven years that succeeded, his ability and 
application were clearly shown in the success that fol- 
lowed, although he found it necessary to take an annual 
summer rest of several weeks, which he usually spent 
in the woods of Maine, away from the haunts of men 
and the constraints of society. 

At the beginning of 1906 some premonitory symp- 
toms of the dread disease which was to terminate his 
life so soon, added to the nervous fatigue, made a vaca- 
tion imperative, and guided by the best medical advice 
of Boston and New York, he, with his family, went to 
Southern California, in the hope that freedom from care, 
and the open-air life of a warm climate, would bring im- 
provement. But this hope was not to be realized ; he 
enjoyed the scenery, the flowers and the foliage of that 
sunny land, but no real improvement was observed. 
About the first of May, a few days before he was to 
start homeward, he caught a severe cold, which seemed 
to precipitate and develop the disease lurking in his 
system, and brought on immediate and severe prostra- 
tion and suffering. He made a forced journey across 
the continent under most distressing conditions, reach- 
ing his home May 13th, just three months from the 
date of his departure, and took his bed from which he 
was not again to arise ; but neither he nor those who 
loved him realized that the end was so near. During 
the first few days he enjoyed hearing the newspapers 
read and seemed anxious to keep in touch with current 
news ; he also talked freely of matters of personal and 
family interest. But the disease was remorseless and 
its progress rapid ; all that his physicians could say at 



4gd In Memoriam 

the end of a week was that they would make his suffer- 
ings as light as possible. With increasing weakness he 
seemed to realize that the result was inevitable, and 
feeling that all efforts to avert it were futile, he re- 
marked one day " Nature is inexorable." The next day, 
when so weak that he could hardly articulate audibly, his 
mind seemed to be musing on the mystery of suffering 
and the inscrutable ways of Divine Providence, and he 
broke out with, — " O the depth of the riches both of 
the wisdom and knowledge of God 1 how iinsearcJiable 
are his judgments, and his ways past finding out ! " A 
moment later he added, " Whatever my shortcomings 
may have been, I have faith in God and in Jesus Christ." 
He said but little after this ; he recognized those dear 
to him on Tuesday ; — the end came on Wednesday 
morning, May 23d, and on Saturday, the 26th, his re- 
mains were laid to rest in the family lot in Forest Hills. 
There are left to mourn for him a devoted wife and 
a little son, — too young to appreciate the loss of a 
father, — aged parents, a sister and a brother, all over- 
whelmed with grief. 

His funeral was a striking evidence of the respect in 
which he was held by his business associates, his em- 
ployees, even by his competitors ; while from many dis- 
tant cities came warm expressions of sympathy, and 
tributes to his character as a merchant and a man. 

His personal friendships, if not lavishly bestowed, 
were discreetly chosen, and faithfully cherished. 

He was a lover of art, and for many years was a mem- 
ber of the Boston Art Club. 

He was naturally religious ; it was easy for him to 
accept the cardinal truths of Christianity, and although 



Charles William Blodgett 49*? 

not of a demonstrative nature, his faith was firm and 
abiding ; — pure in thought and spirit, his daily life re- 
flected the nobility of his character, and the perfect 
integrity conspicuous in all his business relations had its 
foundation in the enduring principles of rectitude rather 
than the shifting suggestions of policy. 

He united with the Shawmut Congregational Church 
in his youth, and when he removed from its neighbor- 
hood, he transferred his relation to the Old South 
Church, of which organization he was a member at the 
time of his death. 











FAMILY OF CALEB. 




ALEB/ son of AsaheP and Catherine 
(Pollard) Blodgett, was born in 
Hudson, N. H. (then Nottingham 
West), Dec. 13, 1793 ; died in Ca- 
naan, N. H., Oct. 5, 1872. By occu- 
pation he was a farmer, but was much in public 
life, and for many years was one of the most 
prominent and influential men in his native State. 
For an interesting review of his public services 
and reminiscences see his own statement in 
Appendix A. 

He married, Sept. 7, 1824, Charlotte Piper, 
born Feb. 12, 1804 ; died in Canaan, Feb. i, 1873, 
daughter of Noah and Jane Piper. 
Their children, born in Dorchester : 

I. Catherine,^ born July 20, 1825 ; died young (3 

or 4 years). 

II. Emily R.,^ born May 13, 1828; married May, 

1847, Miles Jackson, born in 1820. She died 

Aug. 23, 185 1, aged 23 years, 3 months and 10 



Asahel Blodgett and His Descendants. 51 

days. He died Oct. 29, 1853, ^g^^ 33 years. 
They had a son : 

I. George^ Jackson, born in Canaan, April 30, 1848 ; 
died there Sept. 28, 1848, aged 4 months, 28 
days. 

III. Caleb,^ born in Dorchester, N. H., June 3, 1832 ; 
died in Canaan, Dec. 11, 1901, aged 69 years, 
6 months, 8 days. A lawyer, and Judge of 
the Superior Court of Massachusetts. He was 
educated in the public schools of Canaan, at 
Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, N. H., and 
at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 
1856. His alma mater conferred the degree 
of LL. D. in 1889. After graduation he taught 
school a year or two at Fitchburg and Leo- 
minster, Mass. He began his legal studies at 
Canaan, and continued them in the office of 
Bacon & Aldrich, Worcester, Mass., and was 
admitted to the bar at Worcester, Jan. 24, i860. 
He began practice at Hopkinton, but within a 
year he removed to Boston and became a mem- 
ber of the firm of Boardman & Blodgett, and 
this relation continued twenty-one years, until 
January, 1882, when he was appointed a Justice 
of the Superior Court by Governor John D. 
Long. In 1 89 1 he was offered, by Governor 
Russell, a promotion to the bench of the Su- 
preme Judicial Court, but his health was some- 
what precarious, and, acting upon the advice of 
his friends and physician, he deemed it unwise 
to accept it. He continued to serve with signal 
ability upon the bench of the Superior Court 



52 Asahel Blodgett 

until March, 1900, when his health gave way, 
and in September following he resigned. It 
was hoped by his family and friends that com- 
plete rest might bring improvement to some- 
thing like normal conditions, but he lingered 
with uncertain strength until his death at his 
country home in Canaan, Dec. 11, 1901. His 
interment was in the family lot in Canaan. 

On March 8, 1902, there was a Memorial 
Meeting of the Suffolk Bar and the Justices of 
the Superior Court held at the Court House in 
Boston, and largely attended, when many of the 
leading members of the bar paid tribute to his 
memory. For an abridged account of that 
meeting, and the various addresses then made, 
see Appendix B. 

He married Dec. 14, 1865, Roxalana B., 
daughter of Jesse and Emily A. (Green) Mar- 
tin, of Canaan. They had : 

i. Charles Martin,^ born April 3, 1870 ; married 
Oct. 24, 1 90 1, Louisa Katherine, daughter of 
George W. and Margaret S. Bond, and had : 

i. Caleb, ^° born July 14, 1905. 

IV. Isaac N.,^ born in Canaan, March 6, 1838 ; died 
in Franklin, N. H., Nov. 27, 1905. He re- 
ceived an academic education, studied law in 
the office of Anson S.Marshall, Concord, N.H., 
and was admitted to the bar of New Hampshire 
in December, 1 860 ; practiced law at Canaan, 
i860 to 1867, and in Franklin, 1867 to 1880, 
as a partner of Hon. Austin F. Pike. He was 




•^^'^-^'-^ eyf:^yJl^U' 




And His Descendants 53 

a member of the New Hampshire House of 
Representatives in 1871, 1873, 1874 and 1878, 
and of the Senate in 1879 and 1880 ; was chair- 
man of the Democratic State Committee in 1876 
and 1877, and a member of the Constitutional 
Conventions of 1876, 1889 and 1903. He re- 
ceived the honorary degree of A. M. from Dart- 
mouth College, 1870, and that of LL. D. from 
the same college in 1900 ; he was elected an 
honorary member of the Phi Beta Kappa So- 
ciety, Alpha of N. H. (Dartmouth College), 
in 1881. 

He was a Justice of the Supreme Court of 
New Hampshire, 1880 to 1898, and Chief Jus- 
tice, 1898 to 1902, and resigned that office July 
I, 1902 ; was elected Mayor of Franklin on the 
Citizens' ticket, 1903, 1904; President of the 
Franklin Savings Bank, and Vice-President and 
Director of the Franklin National Bank. 

He married May 24, 1861, Sarah A. Gerould, 
born in East Alstead, N. H., April 13, 1839, 
daughter of the Rev. Moses and Cynthia (Locke) 
Gerould, later of Canaan, and had a daughter : 

i. Anna G.,9 born in Canaan, Aug. 13, 1862. 





§^^ 



FAMILY OF RUFUS7 




UFUS/ son of AsaheP and Lois (Pol- 
lard) Blodg-ett, was born in Hudson, 
N. H., Nov. 12, 1798. He removed 
with his parents in 1806 to Dor- 
chester, N. H., where he was married 
about 1826, by Rev. Increase S. Davis, to Ruth 
Webster Fellows, born June 26, 1796. About 
1833 he removed to New York State, and lived 
for a time in Bombay, Franklin County, but soon 
settled in Fort Covington, where he continued to 
reside, as a farmer, until his death, March 20, 
1881. His wife died Oct. 15, 1867. 

Children, born in Fort Covington, N. Y. : 

I. Betsey,^ born May 4, 1836 ; died Sept. 11, 1901 ; 
married January, 1861, William Crangle, born 
in County Cavan, Ireland, March 16, 1839, and 
had : 

I. William Rufus Crangle,9 born in Fort Coving- 
ton, Sept. 14, 1861; married Oct. 15, 1887, 



Asahel Blodgett mid His Descendants 55 

Euretta Jane Ward, born Sept. i, 1868, in Kin- 
cardine, Ontario, Canada. They had : 

a. Clara E. Crangle,^° bom in Hutchinson, Kansas, 

Dec. 18, 1889. 

b. Herbert Clemmens Crangle,^° born in Hutchinson, 

March 29, 1891. 

c. William /ohti Crangle,^° horn in Hutchinson, July 

5, 1899. 

2. James Frederick Crangle,^ born Oct. 31, 1864; 

married Aug. 29, 1884, Gillian Anna Dickin- 
son, born in Springfield, Mass., Feb. 26, 1864. 
He resided (1902) at Simsbury, Conn. Chil- 
dren: 

a. Alice Louise Crangle,^° born in Springfield, July 

22, 1885. 

b. Frederick Crangle,^° born in Fort Covington, June 

12, 1888; died Aug. 12, 1888. 

c. William Edwin Crangle,^° born on Fisher's Island, 

N. Y., April 22, 1894. 

d. Arline Luella Crangle,^° born on Fisher's Island, 

Oct. 5, 1896. 

3. Clara Louisa Crangle,? born Jan. 4, 1867 ; mar- 

ried July 4, 1896, Aaron K. Kline; no issue. 
Resided (1902) on Fisher's Island. 

4. Agnes Ruth Crangle,9 bom Aug. 10, 1874; mar- 

ried May 19, 1899, John Shea. Resided (1902) 
in Portland, Me. Children : 

a. Clara Elizabeth Shea,^° born Feb. 17, 1900. 

b. William John Shea,^° horn Aug. 2, 190 1. 

II. Harriet Louisa,^ born Oct. 9, 1840; married 
Feb. 14, 1872, James McKenna, born in Fort 
Covington, May i, 1832. He served in the 



56 Asahel Blodgett 

Civil War in the 12th New York Cavalry, and 
lost his left arm at the battle of Chapin's Farm. 
They lived on her father's homestead farm in 
Fort Covington. Children, born in Fort Cov- 
ington : 

1. Katherine Alice McKenna,9 born April 6, 1874; 

married Dec, 22, 1897, John Willard Webb, born 
Aug. 10, 1873, and had : 

a. Marian Edith Webh,^° born Sept. 27, 1898. 

b. Robert James Webb,'° born Sept. 5, 1900. 

2. RuFUS James McKenna,? born July 4, 1875 ; mar- 

ried April 27, 1897, Agnes C. Corrigan, born 
Oct. 12, 1878; she died Aug. 26, 1899. They 
had : 

a. Gertrtide Agms McKenna,^° born July 12, 1898. 

3. Ruth Grace Louisa McKenna,? born March 19, 

1880; married Feb. 14, 1899, Francis J. Mul- 
vana, born in Bombay, N. Y., April 28, 1872, 
and had : 

a. James Francis Mulvana,'° born June 12, 1900. 

b. John Mulvana,^° born March 16, 1902. 





FAMILY OF ABNER/ 




)BNER7 son of AsahePand Lois (Pol- 
lard) Blodgett, was born in Hudson, 
N. H., Dec. 5, 1802 ; died in Went- 
worth, N. H., Oct. 5, 1889, and was 
interred there. By occupation he 
was a farmer. Most of his life was spent in Dor- 
chester, N. H., where he was a prominent and 
useful citizen. At different times he was town 
clerk and selectman. In 1847, ^^^ again in 
1850, he was a representative to the Legislature. 
A few years before his death he removed to Went- 
worth. He married, Dec. 9, 1832, his second 
cousin Persis, daughter of Jabez and Rachel (Pol- 
lard) Blodgett, born in Hudson, May 31 (or, 
according to her daughter. May 19), 1803; she 
died April 16, 1884; interred at Wentworth. 
Children, born in Dorchester : 

I. Franklin,^ born July 12, 1833 ; married Aug. 25, 
1862, Eliza M. King, of Langdon, N. H., bo.-n 
in Haverhill, N. H., May 13, 1840, and had : 



58 Asahel Blodgett 

i. Jerry,9 born April i6, 1867 ; married in Long 
Branch, N. J., Oct. 30, 1894, Kate Daly, born in 
Clarksburg, N. J., Aug. 23, 1870. Children: 

i. Chastina Clark,'^° born Dec. 9, 1896. 
ii. Loretta IIelene,^° born Feb. 27, 1901, 

ii. William King,9 born Dec. 23, 1869 ; married Jan. 

14, 1905, Mrs. Elizabeth Herbert, of Manas- 

quam, N. J. 
iii. Eunice Mabel,9 born Aug. 15, 1881 ; died June 2, 

1899, 

II. Miriam,^ born Sept. 26, 1834 ; died April 2, 1902 ; 
married Nov. 15, 1863, in Dorchester, Benjamin 
Davis, and had : 

I. Emily Frances Davis,9 born Aug., 1864; died 
June, 1865. 

III. SusAN,^ born Dec. 11, 1835 ; died in Went worth, 

Aug. 4, 1897; unmarried. 

IV. Frances,^ born Dec. 6, 1837; married Feb. 23, 

1859, George Plumer, born in Gilmanton, N. H., 
Jan. 4, 1 82 1. Children: 

1. Persis Maria Plumer,9 born Oct. 8, i860. A 

graduate of Wellesley College ; unmarried. 

2. George Franklin Plumer,^ born Aug. 29, 1862 ; 

married Sept. 25, 1895, Nellie E. Emmons, born 
in New Hampton, N. H., Feb. 4, 1861. 

3. LuciNDA Blodgett Plumer,9 born Feb. 4, 1868; 

died in Wentworth, April 20, 1896 ; married Jan. 
31, 1889, William H. Rollins, born in Went- 
worth, March 20, 1864; died April 10, 1902. 
No issue. 



And His Descendants 59 

V. Abner,^ born Nov. 4, 1842; married Nov. 26, 
1877, Alice E. Hook, born in Concord, N. H., 
Sept. 26, 1849, and had: 

i. John Oilman ,9 born Aug. 6, 1881. 

VI. Jabez Eben,^ born Sept. 12, 1844; married, first, 
Dec. 25, 1876, Abbie J. Fellows, born in Ca- 
naan, N. H., Sept. I, 1856; died in Concord, 
Nov. 13, 1 90 1. They had: 

i, Howard E.,9 born Aug. 23, 1894; died Aug. 26, 
1894. 

Jabez E.^ married, second, Aug. 22, 1904, Mrs. Azlie 
Burleigh. 

VII. Lois R.,^ born July 3, 1848 ; married in Concord, 
June 27, 1878, John W. Kirk, born in Alexan- 
dria, N. H., Dec. 25, 1845, and had: 

1. Wallace Burley KiRK,9twin, born May 24, 1883. 

2. Warren Blodgett Kirk,9 twin, born May 24, 

1883. 




FAMILY OF JEREMIAH; 




IEREMIAH^ son of AsaheP and Lois 
(Pollard) Blodgett, was born in 
Hudson, N. H. (then Nottingham 
West), March lo, 1806; died in 
New Haven, Conn., Aug. 2, 1881 ; 
and was buried at Wentworth, N. H. When 
he was but a few months old his parents moved 
to Dorchester, N. H,, where his childhood and 
youth were passed. At that time the educa- 
tional advantages of that section of the State 
were very limited, consisting of a few weeks' 
schooling during the winter months ; but not- 
withstanding these limitations he succeeded, by 
diligent effort and application, in acquiring an 
education sufficient to enable him to engage in 
teaching district schools in the winter months, 
while during the summer months he worked at 
brick-making. At the age of twenty- six he had 
acquired enough to purchase a good farm in 
Dorchester and to begin life as a farmer, though 



Asahel Blodzett arid His Descendants 6i 



^a 



owing to the sterile soil of that town he did not 
rapidly accumulate property. After a few years 
he removed to Rumney, N, H., and later to Went- 
worth. For a more extended account of his sub- 
sequent life see a sketch of him by his son, Hon. 
Rufus Blodgett, of New Jersey, in Appendix C. 

He married, first, Nov. 23, 1833, Amanda, 
daughter of Dea. William and Hannah (Brown) 
Johnson, of Wentworth, born April 8, 1813. Both 
her grandfathers were Revolutionary soldiers. 
She died Feb. 9, 1849, and was buried in Went- 
worth village cemetery. 

Children, born in Dorchester : 

I. RuFUS,^ born Oct. 9, 1834. For an extended 
sketch of him, too long for insertion here, see 
Appendix D. 

He married, first, Nov. 27, 1861, Amanda M., 
daughter of Charles and Mary (Harriman) Hoyt, 
of Wentworth, born in Peacham, Vt., July 23, 
1836; died in Peacham, Jan. 28, 1879; buried 
at Wentworth. Children : 

i. Amanda Louisa,9 born in New Haven, Conn., Aug. 
18, 1862 ; died Jan. 8, 1863 ; buried at New 
Haven. 

ii. Harry Thornton,9 born in Manchester, N. J., 
Aug. 25, 1867 ; married April 14, 1890, Bertha, 
daughter of Stephen and Lena (Schwartz) Ger- 
ner. Resides at Long Branch, N. J., in the em- 
ploy of the N. Y. & L. B. Railroad. 



62 Asahel Blodgett 

Rufus^ married, second, July 28, 1879, Mrs. 
Chastina Clark Simpson, widow of Henry F. 
Simpson, daughter of Enoch and Ruth (Harri- 
man) Clark, born in Piermont, N. H., Dec. 14, 
1833. No issue. 
II. Jeremiah, Jr.,^ born April 7, 1836; died May 
18, 1836; buried at Dorchester. 

III, Louisa Johnson,^ born March 31, 1837; died 

May 24, 1837 ; buried at Dorchester. 

IV. Beniah,^ born April 19, 1838; died in Went- 

worth, Sept. 5, 1852 ; buried at Went worth. 
V. Louisa Johnson,^ born Sept. 15, 1841 ; married 
in New Haven, June 27, 1877, John Atwell, of 
Peacham. She died at the home of her brother 
Rufus,^ at Long Branch, Nov. 12, 1891. Child : 

I. Kate A. ATWELL,9born in Peacham, July 22, 1878. 

VI. Jeremiah, Jr.,s born April 18, 1844; died in 

Wentworth, Dec. 9, 1859 '•> buried at Wentworth. 

VII. William Johnson,^ born in Rumney, Oct. 9, 

1846 ; died in Manchester, N. J., Oct. 26, 1868 ; 

buried at Wentworth. 

Jeremiah^ married, second, Sept., 1850, Ann 
Blodgett Burns, born in Rumney, Feb. 16, 1804, 
daughter of Samuel and Ann (Blodgett) Burns. 
No issue. She died in Manchester, N. H., June 
8, 1889 ; buried at Wentworth. Her mother was 
a daughter of Jonathan^ Blodgett, of Hudson and 
Rumney. 



Appendix A. 



HON. CALEB BLODGETT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



Reminiscences and Reflections, Dictated to his Son, 
Caleb, Jr., about 1870. 




)Y great-grandfather, Joseph Blodgett, set- 
tled in Hudson (then Dunstable), N. H., 
about 1 710, on the farm where Calvin 
Pollard now lives, and was the first set- 
tler on that land, and one of the first in 
town. He was a small man, and was 
born, I think, in Tyngsborough or Chelmsford, Mass. 
He went up the Merrimac River in a canoe, and was 
led to settle where he did from the fact that the lot of 
land where he built his house was an Indian corn-field. 
He lived in a garrison-house, of which the old cellar is 
still to be seen ; was often chased by the Indians, and 
was once or twice saved from capture by the barking 
of his dog. His wife was a Perham. They had five 
sons — Joseph, Jeremiah, Ebenezer, Jonathan and James 



64 Asahel Blodgett 

— and two daughters, possibly three. One of the daugh- 
ters married a Greeley, and lived to be 95 or 96 years 
old ; and one a Merrill, who was killed in battle in the 
French war. His widow lived to be nearly 100 years 
old. 

Joseph, Jr., married a Wheeler for his first wife, and 
Sarah Cross for his second, and died in Hudson at the 
age of about Zy. He had four children by his first 
wife and one by his second. 

Ebenezer and James both moved to Plymouth, N. H., 
before the War of the Revolution, and died there. 

Jonathan married a Provender, from York, Me., and 
died in Hudson when he was about 96 years old. 

Jeremiah was my grandfather, and was born in 17 19, 
and died in 1796. I think I recollect his funeral, and 
it is the earliest thing I do remember. He died on the 
old homestead in Hudson, and died younger than any 
of his brothers or sisters. He was a large, strong man, 
of light complexion and blue eyes ; he was accustomed 
to carry two bushels of grain on his back three miles, to 
Lovell's mills in Nashua, to be ground. 

He married Miriam Provender, a most excellent wo- 
man, who died in May, 1800. It was her practice for 
many years to raise poultry, and in the fall to take it to 
Boston, riding one horse and leading another, sell the 
poultry, then go to Rhode Island, and, with the money 
received for the poultry, buy wool, which she carried 
home to Hudson and carded, spun and wove into cloth. 
Sheep could not be kept at Hudson then on account of 
wolves. I have often heard my father tell of his mother 
sitting up till twelve and one o'clock, carding and spin- 
ning, the only light being what could be obtained from 



And His Descendants. 65 

burning pine knots and splints. She was a large woman, 
much resembling my sister Lois, and lived to be about 
eighty years old. Her children were Jeremiah, Eben- 
ezer, Asahel, Hannah (who married Stephen Chase), 
Sarah, Isaac, and Beniah. 

Jeremiah and Ebenezer both moved to Plymouth, 
married there, and both died in the army, during the 
Revolutionary War, while in camp near Ticonderoga, 
Each left a young daughter. My grandfather, hearing 
of their sickness, went on horseback to see them, but 
both died before he got there. On his return to Hudson 
he was immediately taken sick with typhus fever, and 
before he had recovered every other member of his fam- 
ily had the same disease, and Isaac and Sarah died of it. 
Hannah (Mrs. Chase) died in Topsham, Vt., about 1846, 
and was not far from ninety years old. Beniah married 
a Hamlet, and died in Dorchester, January, 1830, aged 
sixty-five, leaving no children. 

My father, Asahel, was born June 19, 1755, and died 
June 2, 1842. He remained at home with his parents, 
and for their support received the homestead farm. In 
the winter of 1776 and 'yy he went into the army and 
was sent to Fishkill, N. Y., was taken sick with fever 
almost immediately on his arrival, and, getting a fur- 
lough, he went to Danbury, Conn., where he remained 
until his short term of service, three months, was out. 
He married Catherine Pollard about 1781 ; she died 
Dec. 20, 1895. His second wife was Lois Pollard, sister 
of his first wife, to whom he was married, I think, in 
1798. 

He moved to Dorchester in March, 1806, having 
bought a farm there the previous fall. He sold his 



66 A sake I Blodgett 

farm in Hudson in the spring of 1805, but by agree- 
ment retained possession for a year after. The Hudson 
farm contained about one hundred acres, and was sold 
for $2,000. The Dorchester farm contained four hun- 
dred acres, and the price paid for it was $2,000. The 
removal from Hudson to Dorchester was not a change 
for the better. The farm at Hudson was on a river, 
easily tilled, and with a market near at hand for any 
produce the farmer had to sell. The Dorchester farm 
was in a poor town, seventy miles further north, away 
from market, schools or churches, with a soil which 
might be called strong but cold, wet, stony, and hard to 
till. His family was large, and he wanted more land. 
The summers of 1804 and 1805 were unusually hot and 
dry, and the crops at Hudson were seriously injured by 
drought, and the pastures were so dry that stock suf- 
fered greatly. But the heat and drought helped the 
Dorchester land, so that when my father went there in 
the fall of 1805 everything appeared to the best advan- 
tage, and this, with the desire for more land, induced 
him to make the purchase. The seasons soon changed. 
1806 was a year of about the ordinary temperature, 
but 1807, '08, '09 and '10 were cold and wet, — 1809 
especially, — and that year very little corn got ripe in 
Dorchester. 

My father's children by his first wife were Catherine, 
born in 1781 ; Asahel, May 15, 1783; Ebenezer, Jan. 
14, 1786; Isaac, Aug. 18, 1787; Sibyl, Nov. 13, 1789; 
Lois, Jan., 1791 ; and myself, Dec. 13, 1793 ; and by his 
second wife, Rufus, Dec, 1798 ; Lucinda, Nov. 12, 1800 ; 
Abner, Dec. 5, 1802; Beniah, April, 1804; Jeremiah, 
March 9, 1806; and Betsey, May 14, 1810. Catherine 



Aiid His Descendants 6y 

died of consumption at Hudson, Dec. lO, 1805 ; Isaac, 
of typhus fever at Nashua, Oct. 29, 18 16; Beniah of 
spotted fever at Dorchester, April, 18 17; Sibyl, March 
6, 1863 ; Asahel, April, 1863, and Ebenezer at Rumney, 
March, 1870. 

My brother Asahel did not live at home after he was 
sixteen or seventeen years old, and was married when 
he was twenty. When Isaac was sixteen he went to 
live with his uncle Beniah at Nashua, and remained with 
him until we moved to Dorchester. He went with us 
and lived at home one season, but afterwards was gen- 
erally away. The other children, except when occasion- 
ally away at work, remained at home until they became 
of age. In March, 18 12, Isaac and I started for Boston 
for work ; we walked all the way, and carried heavy 
packs. I went to work for Bowman & Merriam, who 
were carrying on a teaming business. My work was 
mainly loading wood that came on the Middlesex canal. 
The work was too hard for a boy and it strained my 
stomach, from which I did not recover for four years. 
I returned to Dorchester Aug. 20, and remained there 
until March, 18 16, when Asahel, Isaac and I left for 
Boston in pursuit of work. I stopped at Nashua and 
went to work for Uncle Beniah, Asahel and Isaac going 
on to Boston. In October following, Isaac was taken 
sick in Boston with typhus fever ; he came up to Nashua, 
and there he died at Uncle Beniah's. I took care of 
him and caught the disease, but had it in a mild form. 
I returned to Dorchester the last of November, and 
lived there until 1833, when I moved to Canaan. 

I was one of the selectmen of Dorchester in 18 19, 
again in 1822, and four or five years after that, the 



68 Asahel Blodgett 

last year being 1833. I was the representative from 
Dorchester in the State Legislature in 1823, '24, '25, 
'26, '29 and '30. In 1833 and '34 I was a member of 
the New Hampshire Senate from District No. 11. I 
was appointed deputy sheriff in May, 1833, and in con- 
sequence of that appointment I moved to Canaan. In 
October, 1835, I was appointed sheriff of Grafton 
County and held the office until 1 840, when I was re- 
appointed deputy sheriff and continued in office until 
1855. I was one of the selectmen of Canaan in 1838, 
'39, '40, '41 and '49, and represented the town in the 
House of Representatives in 1842 and 1843. I was 
one of the road commissioners of Grafton County in 
1 84 1 and 1842, and a member of the Governor's Council 
in 1844 and 1845. 

The style of living in my father's family at Hudson, 
and among the people generally in that vicinity, was very 
plain and simple. Milk, corn and rye bread, and bean- 
porridge, were the staple articles of food, morning and 
night, with meat of some kind at noon. Wheat flour 
was unknown. The first wheat bread I ever saw was 
at Bow, N. H., on my way from Hudson to Dorchester, 
when I was twelve years old. Clothing for both sexes 
was nearly all home made. The shoemaker came to 
the house, and there made boots and shoes for the family, 
the customer finding his own leather. Every man who 
employed a blacksmith found his own iron. Houses were 
poor, never plastered and usually not clap-boarded. 
There was little money in circulation at Hudson, and 
much less in Dorchester. 




acM-J^ cl£ljj(^ 



^M^- 




Appendix B. 



HON. CALEB BLODGETT. 



The Memorial. 




HE members of the Suffolk Bar take this 
opportunity to make pubhc their sincere 
appreciation of the judicial services ren- 
dered by the late Justice Blodgett upon 
the bench of the Superior Court of this 
Commonwealth, and to express their af- 
fection for his personal qualities, their admiration for 
his character and attainments, and their profound sor- 
row that their personal relations with him have been 
severed. 

Caleb Blodgett, for nearly twenty years a Justice of 
the Superior Court, was born in Dorchester, N. H., June 
3, 1832, was a graduate of Dartmouth College in 1856, 
and was later in life honored by the same college with 
the degree of LL. D. He began the study of the law 
after teaching for two years, was admitted to the bar at 



70 Asahel B lodge tt 

Worcester in i860, and began the practice of his pro- 
fession in Hopkinton, removing to Boston in i860. He 
continued in active and steadily increasing practice until 
1882, when he was commissioned a Justice of the Su- 
perior Court, and the real work of his life began. He 
was later offered a position upon the Supreme Bench 
by Governor Russell ; but his health was such that he 
deemed it unwise to undertake new duties, and he de- 
clined the position. This decision was received with 
regret by the bar, who desired for him the highest 
judicial honors, and, knowing his unusual fitness for 
the office he then held, anticipated for him with confi- 
dence a not less useful and brilliant future as a Judge 
of our highest Court. 

He took no part in local or general politics, but de- 
voted his whole strength and energies to the conscien- 
tious performance of his official duties. Suffering 
intensely from a disease of the heart, he resigned from 
the bench in September, 1900, and died at his summer 
home in New Hampshire on Dec. 11, 1901. 

No better nisi prins Judge has sat upon the bench of 
Massachusetts in this generation. He combined a firm 
grasp of principle with a thorough knowledge of the 
decisions and a marked power of lucid statement. He 
had an eager love for the truth, and was not easily de- 
ceived by the evasions of a witness or the sophistries of 
counsel. His sense of justice was strong, and he did 
his best to see that it was done in every case that was 
tried before him. He had a quiet but complete control 
of all trials before him. He was uniformly patient and 
courteous to counsel and witnesses, but firm and decided 
in his rulings, which were the results of proper delib- 



And His Descendants yi 

erations, and were seldom found to be wrong. He did 
not shrink from responsibility, but was anxious that what- 
ever ruling he made should be stated so clearly that, if 
he was in error, it might not go uncorrected, letting no 
pride of opinion weigh against his sense of justice. He 
spared no pains to make the jury understand the issues 
involved in litigation, and he did not hesitate to set aside 
their verdict when he was satisfied that it was wrong. 
He was in every essential a model of what a Judge 
should be. The Commonwealth has been fortunate in 
having the service of so admirable a magistrate for so 
many years, but it makes our regret only the keener that 
his usefulness was not prolonged, and that he was unable 
to accept the seat on the Supreme Bench which would 
have made his contributions to the law of Massachusetts 
more permanent. He enjoyed the respect and confi- 
dence of us all while he lived, and it is with the most 
sincere sorrow that we offer this last tribute to his 

memory. 

Charles P. Greenough, 

Lewis S. Dabney, 

MooRFiELD Storey, 

James R. Dunbar, 

Joseph A. Willard, 

Committee. 

From Remarks of Attorney-General Parker. 

Judge Blodgett was graduated from Dartmouth Col- 
lege in 1856. We men of Massachusetts gratefully 
recognize the obligations we owe to that institution of 
learning which has given so much to us. Scan our 
judicial history, and you will find page after page illu- 



72 Asahel B lodge tt 

mined by the labor of her graduates ; and she speaks 
to-day from our bench with the same learning, the wise 
judgment, the spirit of patient and searching investiga- 
tion, and the influence of high character with which 
those whom she has trained have been endowed 

The undergraduate life of Judge Blodgett was marked 
rather by evidences of sterling character, conscientious 
attention to the work that lay before him, and capacity 
to master thoroughly the studies he had entered upon, 
than by brilliancy or ease of achievement. He rightly 
earned a place among the very first scholars of his 
class, and had the universal regard and respect of his 
fellows. 

The first forecast of his life-work exhibited a curious 
unconsciousness of the great power he later developed. 
Partly, perhaps, from a desire to immediately acquire the 
means of livelihood, but undoubtedly also because of 
great interest in the work, he became the principal of 
the High School at Leominster, in the county of Wor- 
cester. And there are many now living in that town, 
and many more, widely scattered over our country, who 
gratefully testify to the influence of his example and the 
benefit of his instruction. 

I well remember a summer afternoon, when I went 
with him from court in Fitchburg, when he made a pil- 
grimage to those old scenes. With the keenest pleasure 
he marked and spoke of the beauty of the river, valley, 
and woodlands he knew, and of the homes in which he 
had been welcomed. I saw the greetings of those who 
had known him, full of that affection and cordiality 
mingled with respect which told that his earlier associa- 
tions had ripened into lifelong ties 



And His Descendants 73 

No judicial life was ever more pure or more exalted 
in ideals than his. Whatever there was of human frailty 
in his temperament, it was in court never suffered to 
appear. Ignorance of procedure or mere lack of knowl- 
edge of the law, or even unconscious temerity of coun- 
sel, excited in him no manifestation of impatience or 
irritation. With the utmost consideration he brought 
out the truth from a dull or frightened witness. Only 
in case of willful falsehood or plain disclosure of an at- 
tempt to pervert justice did his indignation show itself ; 
and then it was the dignity and power of the law that 
spoke in crushing denunciation, never tainted by accent 
of passion or anger. I believe no one of us who ever 
practiced before him can recall a single instance or occa- 
sion when, from the bench, a word of impatience or per- 
sonal irritation escaped him. He was to my mind the 
incarnation of deliberate, calm judgment 

His charges to juries were masterpieces, and I think 
his most memorable service in the efBcient and sound 
administration of the law lay here. His line of thought 
was beautifully clear and logical, but followed those paths 
of reasoning along which the minds of the jury could 
most readily follow him. His choice of language was 
admirable, simple, yet exact and apt and always perfectly 
intelligible. His absolute fairness of mind, his evident 
sincerity of purpose to see absolute justice done, his 
dignified and impressive appearance, led every juryman 
not only to obey his every instruction of law, but as 
well to realize its reason and its justice. No Judge ever 
more strictly abstained from invading the province of 
the jury upon the facts, yet no Judge was more fearless 



74 Asahel Blodgett 

in the exercise of the inherent power of the Court to set 
aside a verdict manifestly grounded upon error in their 
deliberations. 



From Response of His Honor Chief-Justice Mason. 

Brethren of the Bar : — In our imperfect acceptance 
of the great facts of life, a tinge of sadness attends a 
review of the life-work of loved associates who have 
recently gone from us. The clouds which thus depress 
the spirit are but the mist of earth shutting out the 
ever-constant sun of heaven. To the unobstructed 
vision, death becomes an orderly step in continuous 
human life, the joyous entrance upon a freer and more 
delightful stage of manhood. 

The contemplation of efficient, manly living in others 
should be uplifting and stimulative of all which enriches 
our own lives. The exceptional attainment of Judge 
Blodgett, which you have portrayed with appreciative 
commendation, did not spring forth suddenly as you saw 
it in its full maturity. He had indeed an inheritance 
of more than usual strength, but the symmetrical vigor 
of the man was a growth involving lifelong effort with 
constant vigilance. 

It was a sturdy stock from which he sprung. The 
sterile farms of his native town produced vigorous men, 
though their other products were meagre. Native thrift 
and diligence wrested moderate competency from most 
adverse conditions. Judge Blodgett wasted no early 
years in aught that poisoned or weakened the sources of 
character. While he entered heartily into the normal 
diversions of youth, these were not suffered to prevent 



And His Descendants 75 

earnest application to serious preparation for the life- 
work which was to follow. 

His early opportunities for the acquisition of knowl- 
edge were those of a country boy in a family of limited 
means. He was accustomed to aid by his own earnings 
in obtaining advantages which the public school then 
failed to furnish. From the first he manifested marked 
aptness for study and conscientious application to im- 
prove every opportunity open to him. He secured in 
the Academy at Canaan, his boyhood home, and at the 
famous Kimball Union Academy at Meriden, N. H., the 
best preparation for college to be had in his vicinity ; 
and at the age of twenty he entered Dartmouth, admira- 
bly equipped to make the most of the larger opportunity 
there afforded. 

His class-work in college was thorough ; but he did 
not need, nor was he content, to limit his studies to 
what this required, but read widely and thoughtfully. It 
was inevitable that he should take high rank at gradua- 
tion, — he was second in a class of sixty, — but this 
measured a small part only of what the four years at 
Hanover had accomplished, in aid of the upbuilding of 
that sterling character which characterized his after-life. 

At graduation he was, in physique, a fit embodiment 
of the intellectual and moral strength within. It was 
but the natural manifestation of his sturdy character 
that he should at once stand upon his own feet and spend 
two years in teaching. As principal of the High School 
at Leominster, Mass., he put the whole strength of his 
young manhood into the work in hand. He enjoyed 
his temporary service as a teacher, and always retained 
pleasant recollections of the community in which it was 



^6 Asahel Blodgett 

rendered, and where his administration of the school is 
still remembered as a model of excellence 

His legal studies were begun at his home in Canaan, 
but principally pursued in the office of Bacon & Aldrich 
at Worcester. He was admitted to the bar Jan. 24, 
i860, at Worcester. He began practice with his col- 
lege classmate, the Hon. Henry L. Parker, at Hopkin- 
ton ; but later in the same year he came to Boston, where 
for twenty-one years he applied himself closely to prac- 
tice at the bar, early winning the confidence of an ex- 
tended clientHe, and securing an excellent standing in 
the profession. While not wanting in forcible and effec- 
tive presentation of causes to court or jury, his reputation 
was that of a sound lawyer rather than that of a brilliant 
advocate 

In January, 1882, he was appointed a Justice of the 
Superior Court. He found in judicial labor the oppor- 
tunity for service which was most congenial to his tastes 
and for which his qualifications were well nigh ideal. 
For eighteen years he gave himself unreservedly to this 
service. He strove to make his part in it worthy of the 
Commonwealth and its best traditions. It was his crown- 
ing life-work, and by it we measure his success 

In 1889 the degree of LL, D. was conferred upon him 
by Dartmouth College. Two years later he was offered 
a deserved promotion to the Supreme Judicial Court ; 
but, after consultation with friends and with his phy- 
sician, he deemed it unwise to make a radical change in 
his work 



And His Descendants yy 

His labors with us continued unbroken until March, 
1900, when from physical exhaustion he was obliged to 
suspend them. They were never resumed, and in the 
following September he resigned. He lingered with 
varying degrees of strength until Dec. 11, 1 901, when 
he died at his summer home in Canaan, N. H., in his 
seventieth year. 

To adequately summarize the life of another, one must 
catch something of his spirit. As a fellow- worker. Judge 
Blodgett was kindly and helpful. Generous in his ap- 
preciation of the best traits of his associates, he seemed 
to know no other qualities. As we saw him in close 
intimacy, free from the restraint of publicity or formal 
functions, our respect for him was in no way diminished. 

The every-day life, in which he was at home and in 
perfect freedom, was upon a high plane ; yet the pro- 
longed prostration of the final illness revealed even to 
his most intimate friends a depth and delicacy of feeling 
which had before been veiled in modest reserve 

His culture was by no means confined to the law. 
In general knowledge it was broad, and in several lines 
it was careful and thorough. It cannot be said that his 
attainments were those of a brilliant, many-sided scholar, 
but it is true that they were solid and substantial in the 
lines which he pursued. His reading was in the main 
serious and thoughtful He had a keen appreciation of 
felicity of expression when there was a thought worthy 
of expression ; but he was impatient of empty phrases, 
however gracefully framed. 

With our friend and associate the books of this pre- 
paratory life are closed. He has filled out the "six 



7^ 



Asahel B lodge tt 



days " within which the law from which there is no 
escape requires that all work of the earthly plane shall 
be done. So far as human judgment may pass upon the 
record, happy will it be for each one of us, if, when the 
earthly task is complete, it can be said to furnish like 
preparation for the higher service of the Sabbath which 
follows, and like reason for the final word, "Well done, 
thou good and faithful servant." 

The Resolution presented will be entered of record, 
and the Court will stand adjourned for the day. 




Appendix C. 



SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF JEREMIAH^ BLODGETT. 



By his Son, Hon. Rufus^ Blodgett, of New Jersey. 




1842 and 1843. 



[HROUGH his whole life he took a deep 
interest in political affairs and was fre- 
quently elected to various town offices. 
He represented the town of Dorchester, 
N. H., in the Legislature during the years 
In 1845 ^^ moved to Rumney, N. H., 
where he continued his vocation of farming until the 
following year, when he was appointed deputy sheriff for 
Grafton County. 

In 1847 he moved to Wentworth, N. H., where he 
ever after resided. His appointment as deputy sheriff 
raised a bitter feeling among the friends of the rival 
candidate, whom he had succeeded in that office. So 
determined were his opponents to crush him that Hon. 
Josiah Quincy, of Rumney, then a prominent member 
of the bar, refused to allow the business of his office to 
be transacted by Mr. Blodgett ; and in order more ef- 



8o Asahel Blodgett 

fectually to break down the new sheriff, Mr. Quincy, 
then a leading member of the Legislature, succeeded in 
procuring the passage of laws conferring, to a great ex- 
tent, the powers and duties of the sheriff's office upon 
constables elected by the different towns. After two 
years of agitation the objectionable laws were repealed, 
to which result Mr. Blodgett contributed largely by his 
influence and exertion. The extreme bitterness which 
had been manifested against his appointment gradually 
passed away, so that at the end of his two terms of five 
years each as deputy sheriff his former opponents be- 
came his warmest friends and supporters. 

He was prompt and efficient as a public officer, yet 
generous to a fault, seldom exacting his full legal fees 
from a poor debtor. He performed his unpleasant du- 
ties with the least possible annoyance and expense to 
parties in litigation, and very frequently sustained loss 
by his indulgence, often relinquishing his fees rather 
than add to the burdens of the poor. 

His wife died in February, 1849, and was buried in 
the family burying lot at Wentworth village. He mar- 
ried a second time, in September, 185 1, Ann B., daugh- 
ter of the late Judge Samuel Burns, of Rumney, who 
survived him. No children were born to him by his last 
marriage. 

Mr. Blodgett was a member of the Constitutional Con- 
vention of 1850, which was presided over by Franklin 
Pierce, and contained among its members some of the 
most distinguished men of the State. He was also a 
member of the Convention of 1876, which reported the 
present Constitution of the State. He was also the candi- 
date of his party for the office of Registrar of Deeds for 



And His Descendants 8t 

Grafton County in the years 1855, '56, 57, '58, but was 
defeated, as were those associated with him on the Dem- 
ocratic ticket. During the administration of President 
Buchanan he was tendered the appointment of inspector 
at the Boston Custom House, but dechned it. He 
accepted the appointment of mail route agent between 
Concord and Littleton, serving until relieved by a change 
of the National Administration. He represented the 
town of Wentworth in the Legislature during the ses- 
sions of 1870, '71. '72, and was elected a member of the 
Governor's Council in 1875 and 1877. 

Mr. Blodgett was a pronounced Democrat and never 
swerved from that political faith. He believed in the 
Jeffersonian doctrine of State Rights, and voted for Mr. 
Breckenridgc for President, in i860, because of those 
views. He was for many years one of the prominent 
Democrats of the State, his active participation in politi- 
cal and business affairs covering a period of more than 
half a century. He was endowed with an unusually 
sound discretion, and lived an active, useful Hfe ; but he 
seemed to enjoy serving others better than himself. 
Caring little for worldly gain, he loved his books and 
the knowledge derived from them, and being a great 
reader, of a remarkably retentive memory, he had become 
possessed of a store of general and varied information 
equalled by few. He possessed great force of charac- 
ter and firm determination of purpose, and yet his 
was the tenderness of a child. An appeal to his charity 
always met a just response ; his sympathy was easily ex- 
cited and often caused him to make sacrifices for the 
benefit of others. His attachments were strong and 
enduring, particularly to his family and kindred. His 



82 A sake I B lodge tt 

friends and intimates were those of kindred spirits, and 
so keen was his perception of character, that he who 
once gained his full confidence and respect always re- 
tained it. 

Having been reared in the strictest Calvinistic faith, 
he naturally became imbued with the views of his ances- 
tors, and although never uniting with the church, he was 
in early life in full accord with its teachings. So deeply 
impressed was he with the importance of the subject 
that he devoted years to a careful study of the Bible, 
earnestly invoking Divine aid in search of the truth. 
His earnest and patient investigation resulted in a 
change of belief, and he became a pronounced Deist, 
or Liberal, which latter views he entertained through 
life. 

Mr. Blodgett was a very robust man, enjoying excel- 
lent health until within a few weeks of his death, which 
occurred at New Haven, August 2, 1 881, in the seventy- 
sixth year of his age. The funeral services took place 
at his late residence in Wentworth, N. H., and was 
attended by a large concourse of friends and prominent 
citizens from different parts of the State. 





mm> 



Appendix D. 



SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF RUFUS^ BLODGETT 




UFUS^ BLODGETT, of Long Branch, 
N. J., was born in Dorchester, N. H., 
Oct. 9, 1834. His parents were Jere- 
miah and Amanda (Johnson) Blodgett, 
both descendants of distinguished New 
England ancestry. He was educated in the public schools 
of his native State and at the Wentworth, N. H., Acad- 
emy. He learned the trade of a locomotive builder at 
the Amoskeag Locomotive Works of Manchester, N. H., 
beginning while very young. He followed his trade for 
several years in New Hampshire and afterwards at New 
Haven, Conn. He was appointed master-mechanic of 
the New Jersey Southern Railroad in 1866, and in 1874 
became its superintendent. In 1884 he was appointed 
to the position which he still holds — superintendent of 
the New York & Long Branch Railroad. 

As a railroad manager, a politician and a business man 
he has ranked among the prominent citizens of New Jer- 



84 A sake I Blodgett 

sey for more than a quarter of a century. As a life-long 
democrat he has held many of the most important politi- 
cal offices in the gift of his party, and in the councils of 
the New Jersey Democracy he still exerts a powerful in- 
fluence in shaping their acts and policy. 

He was elected a member of the New Jersey Assembly 
in 1877, was re-elected in 1878 and in 1879, and in the 
latter year he was the candidate of his party for Speaker. 
In 1880 he was one of New Jersey's district delegates 
to the National Democratic Convention which nominated 
General Hancock for the Presidency, and a delcgate-at- 
large to the Convention in 1 896 which nominated Wil- 
liam J. Bryan. During the presidential contest of 1884 
he was chairman of the Democratic State Committee. 

In the Democratic State Convention of 1886, Mr. 
Blodgett was the strong rival of Robert S. Green for the 
gubernatorial nomination and was defeated, on a close 
vote, after an exciting and bitterly fought contest. The 
following year he was elected United States Senator and 
served in that capacity until the close of his term in 
1893. He was elected Mayor of Long Branch in 1893 
and was re-elected each year afterward until 1898. 

He assisted in organizing the First National Bank, 
and the Citizens' National Bank of Long Branch, N. J., 
and became president of each at its organization. At 
present he is president of the Citizens' National Bank of 
Long Branch, a director of the First National Bank of 
Princeton, N, J., of the First National Bank of South 
Amboy, N. J., and president of the Tintern-Manor 
Water Company. 

His paternal grandfather was Asahel^ Blodgett, a 
soldier of the American Revolution. 



Ajid His Descendants 



85 



On the maternal side, his great-grandfathers Samuel 
Johnson and William Brown both rendered distinguished 
service during the Revolution, the one in the army and 
the other in the navy, for which service each received 
a pension from the government up to the time of his 
death. Samuel Johnson was born in Sutton, N. H., 
and died at Wcntworth, N. H. in 1847. William Brown 
was born in England about 1753 and came to this 
country in 1772. He enlisted on board the American 
frigate " Boston," and sailed from Marblchead under 
Captain Samuel Tucker. Afterwards his vessel was 
used to transport to Europe John Adams and his son 
John Quincy Adams, the former as Minister to France. 




Appendix E. 




BOUT three-fourths of a mile from the 
spot where AsaheK' Blodgett lived and 
died, — and perhaps a mile and a quarter 
in a northwesterly direction from the Dor- 
chester Town House, is a little burying- 
place of about an acre in extent, commonly known as the 
"Blodgett Grave Yard." The inscriptions below are 
found there. 

Asahel Blodgett, died June 2, 1842, aged 87. 

Lois Pollard Blodgett, died April 7, 1849, aged 79. 

Asahel Blodgett, born May 15, 1784; died April 11, 1863, 
aged 79. 

Polly, wife of died Nov. 17, 1862, aged 81. 

Sibyl Blodgett, daughter of Asahel, died March 6, 1863, 
aged 73. 

Lois Blodgett Dole, died June 6, 1877, aged 85. 

Lucinda Blodgett, daughter of Asahel, died Aug. 9, 1879, 
aged 79. 

Betsey Blodgett, daughter of Asahel, died Feb. 23, 1892, 
aged 82. 

Beniah Blodgett, son of Asahel & Lois, died April 8, 1817, 
aged 13. 

Elias Blodgett, died Aug. 6, 1851, aged 46. 

Dea. Beniah Blodgett, died Jan. 27, 1830, aged 63. 

Betsey, his wife, died Nov., 1834, aged 70. 



Appendix F. 




jN the summer of 1904, Kimball Webster, 
Esq., a public spirited citizen of Hudson, 
N. H., and the historian and antiquarian 
of that town, erected, at his own expense, 
a memorial tablet to mark the site of the 
" Blodgett Garrison House " built in that town about 
1 7 10 by Joseph Blodgett, who went from that part of 
Chelmsford, Mass., which was in 1730 set off as the 
present town of Westford. 

A description of the memorial, with some genealogical 
reminiscences, published in the NasJina Press of June i, 
1 904, is appended : — 



GARRISON SITE SUITABLY MARKED. 

Site of Blodgett Garrison House, 

Joseph and Dorothy Blodgett. 

Their oldest son Joseph, born here Feb. 9, 17 18, 

being the first white child born in the town. 

Kimball Webster 1904. 

This is the inscription on a bronze tablet, securely placed 
on the south front of a granite boulder weighing three tons , 
supported by a granite foundation in the earth to mark the 
spot where one of the first three garrison houses was erected 



88 Asahcl Blodzett 



'i>' 



on the east side of the Merrimack river in old Dunstable 
nearly two hundred years ago. 

The location of the boulder is in a field on a line with the 
Lowell electrics, about sixty rods west of the house of P. J. 
Connell in Hudson. It is a lovely spot where this old home 
of the first settlers was located. It was built on ground 
sloping to the south, which borders the Merrimack river, a 
short walk by trail to the banks. At the north is a fine 
spring of water which bubbles forth to-day just as attractively 
as it did when the Blodgett ancestral home was erected and 
the family visited it to obtain their water supply. 

At the west the forest is still in its primeval glory, and 
looking from the historic spot in either direction one is 
charmed by the expanse of meadow and beautiful landscape. 
On Saturday this tablet was placed in position by the efforts 
of Mr. Webster, assisted by Mr. Connell, and from this time 
on there will be no further question as to the site of the Blod- 
gett garrison house. The child mentioned lived to be eighty 
years old, was quite prominent as one of the townsmen, and 
is buried in the Blodgett yard, a plain slate stone marking 
his resting place. The tablet and boulder were put in posi- 
tion without formal exercises, the tablet being prepared and 
set up by T. D. Fuller of this city for Mr. Webster. 

This house was one of the four that were built by the first 
settlers who came from Tyngsboro. North of these there 
was an unbroken wilderness to the Canadas. These garri- 
son houses were the Fletcher garrison house now located in 
Tyngsboro, the Blodgett at this point, the John Taylor on 
the river road near the residence of Mr. Webster, and the 
Hills garrison house on the extreme north of the settlement. 
These block houses were all built about the year 17 lo, and 
it is supposed that the Hills garrison house was the first 
to be put up. 

The town then had twelve or fourteen inhabitants with 
trails connecting through the unbroken forests. To-day it has 



And His Descendants 89 

a population of twelve hundred, with electric cars running 
within sixty rods of the port-holed mansions built to protect 
the people from the attacks of hostile Indian raiders. After 
Captain Lovewell's fight there came peace for these hardy 
settlers, and soon afterward the savages were driven back 
toward the Canadian frontiers. 

Mr. Webster, in placing a mark on this historical spot at 
his own expense, is entitled to the thanks of his fellow 
townsmen , 

The history of the Blodgett family and the incidents con- 
nected with their home are as follows ; — 

Thomas Blodgett sailed from London for Boston, April 18, 
1635, in the ship Increase, and settled in Cambridge. His 
son Daniel,^ born in England in 1631, married Sept. 15, 
1653, Mary Butterfield and removed to Chelmsford, Mass. 

Thomas,3 son of Daniel,^ born June 25, 1654, resided in 
Chelmsford. 

Joseph,4 son of Thomas,^ born in Chelmsford Oct. 10, 
1689, married Dorothy Perham, and removed to the east 
side of the river in Dunstable (now Hudson), previous to 
17 18, where he built a garrison. Tradition says he came up 
the river Merrimack in a canoe, and settled where the In- 
dians had previously had a cornfield, which was about eight 
acres of cleared land ; that he was a small man, was some- 
times pursued by the Indians, and that he was once or 
twice saved from capture by the barking of his trusty 
dog. He died Dec. 3, 1761, in the seventy-fourth year of 
his age. Dorothy, his widow, died March 6, 1778, in the 
eighty-fourth year of her age. 

Joseph,s their eldest child, as recorded in the old Dun- 
stable records, was born Feb. 9, 17 19, which evidently should 
have been recorded 17 18, as the inscription on his headstone 
in the Old South, or Blodgett Cemetery, gives his death as of 
Aug. 16, 1 80 1, in the eighty-fourth year of his age. This 
would make his birth in 17 18. And further, the birth of 



90 A sake I Blodgett 

Ebenezers Blodgett, their second son, is given as Jan. 3, 1720, 
which would be possible, but not probable. 

They had other children: Jeremiah, s born July 20, 1721 ; 
Dorothy,5 born Feb. 18, 1724 ; Rebecca,s born Feb, 3, 1728 ; 
Jonathan, 5 born Dec. 5, 1730, as recorded, but from age at 
death and church records, he was probably born in 1726; 
James,5 born Feb. 17, 1734; Josephs Blodgett, Jr., married, 
first, Dorcas Wheeler : they had children, Dorcas,^ born Dec. 
II, 1757; Joseph,^ born Feb. 10, 1760: Phineas Wheeler,^ 
born Oct. 9, 1761 ; Judah^ and Abigail,^ twins, born June 25, 
1763; Judah died Oct. 15, 1763. Dorcas died June 29, 
1763, in the thirty-fourth year of her age, and Joseph married 
second, Sarah Cross, daughter of Nathan and Sarah Cross, 
born June 26, 1731. 

This Nathan Cross was taken prisoner with Thomas Blan- 
chard, by a party of Mohawk Indians, Sept. 4, 1724, when 
employed in gathering turpentine, a short distance north of 
the present Nashua cemetery, and they were carried to Can- 
ada as prisoners. They effected their release in the spring 
of 1725, and returned home through the wilderness. 

A very large proportion of the inhabitants of this town, by 
various names, are descendants of the first Joseph. Judge 
Isaac N. Blodgett late Chief Justice of New Hampshire, is 
a descendant of this Joseph^ Blodgett. So also is Judge 
John T. Blodgett of Providence, R. I., the late Judge Caleb 
Blodgett of Boston, Mass., and the late Jere. Blodgett and 
Caleb Blodgett, so well known in this State, as well as many 
other distinguished citizens of our country. 




PART III 



The First Four Generations 



OF 



Blodgetts in America 



?^^mp 




THE FIRST FOUR GENERATIONS 



OF 



Blodgetts in America 



:?ffiS:B 




HOMAS BLOGGET/ aged 30, 
and wife, aged 37, embarked at 
London in the ship Increase, 
April 18, 1635. They arrived 
in Boston and settled in " New- 
towne," now Cambridge, Mass. 
Their children were : 

-|- I. Daniel," born in England, 163 1. 
+ II. Samuel,^' born in England, 1633. 

III. Susanna," born in Cambridge, June, 1637. 

IV. Thomas," born in Cambridge ; died Aug. 7, 1639, 

and his death is the seventh recorded in " New- 
towne." 

Thomas' died in 1642, and by his will, probated 
in 1643, left to each of his three children /i 5. 
His widow, Susan, married Feb. 15, 1644, James 



94 A sake I B lodge tt 

Thompson, of Woburn, Mass. ; and the daughter, 
Susanna, married Nov. 28, 1655, Jonathan Thomp- 
son, the son of her stepfather. She died Oct. 20, 
1 69 1. Her oldest son, Jonathan,^ was the great- 
grandfather of the distinguished philosopher, Sir 
Benjamin Thompson, knighted by George III, and 
better known as Count Rumford, with which title 
he was honored by the King of Bavaria. He 
was born at Woburn, March 26, 1753, and died 
at Auteil, near Paris, Aug. 21, 1814, in his sixty- 
second year. 

Their children were : 

1. Susanna Thompson,^ born July 4, 1661. 

2. Jonathan Thompson,^ born Sept. 28, 1663. 

3. James Thompson,^ born 1666; "d. soon." 

4. James Thompsons (2c1), born June 22, 1667. 

5. Sarah Thompson,^ born June i, 1670. 

6. Simon Thompson,^ born June 15, 1673. 

7. Ebenezer Thompson,^ born Aug-. 18, 1676. 





DANIEL,^ THOMAS.' 




ANIEI/ the eldest child of Thomas 
and Susan Blogget, was born in 
England in 1631, and came with 
his parents to America in 1635. 
The family settled in Cambridge 
(then Newe Towne), where 
Thomas the father died in 1642, and early in 
1644 the mother married James Thompson, a 
prominent citizen of Woburn, Mass., and it seems 
a natural inference that her sons were brought 
up in that town, although it appears that DanieP 
was, 1652, made a freeman in Cambridge and 
received a Land Grant of 40 acres, in the division 
of Shawshine in 1652.* 

The Plantation of Chelmsford, Mass., was 
granted May 18, 1653, and incorporated May 
29. 1635. The first petitioners for the grant, 
twenty in number, were of Concord and Woburn, 

* Cambridge Records. 



96 Asakel Blodgett 

and of these Daniel Blogget of Wobiirn was one.* 
He appears to have settled about 1654 in the 
West Precinct of Chelmsford, which was set off 
and incorporated as the town of Westford, Sept. 
23, 1729. Here he resided until his death, which 
occurred (according to Savage) Jan. 28, 1672. 
He received a Land Grant, 1652. He is men- 
tioned in the History of Chelmsford : — " Daniel 
Bloggett one of Committee appointed by Select- 
men to State to every proprietor in the new field 

their proportion offence, etc 12 ist Month 

1666-7." I" ^659 he had four acres at Little 
Tad muck, a part of Chelmsford. f 

He married, first, Sept. 15, 1653, Mary, daugh- 
ter of Benjamin Butterfield,J who died Sept. 5, 
1666. 

Children, born in Chelmsford : 

-|- L Thomas,^ born June 25, 1654; assessed 1720- 
1721. 
n. Anna,3 born Nov. 2, 1655. 
III. Daniel,3 born Jan. 6, 1657. 
-|- IV. Benjamin,^ born in 1658; assessed 1720 to 

1732. 
+ V. Jonathan,^ born Sept. 18, 1660. § 

* History of Westford. t Westford Records. 

\ Chelmsford Records give the date of Daniel's- marriage as 1659, 
an evident error, as four children were born before that date. It should 

be 1653. If he married a Mary in 1659, it would mean that he 

was married three times ; but as each of the first two wives would be a 
Mary, we prefer to assume that the date 1659 is erroneous. 

§ Salisbury, Mass. 



And His Descendants 97 

-|- VI. Samuel,^ born Oct. 12, 1662. 

VII. Nathaniel,^ born Oct. 22, 1664; died Oct. 
27, 1666.* 

He married, second, March 10, 1669, Sarah, 
dauQfhter of William Underwood. Their children 
were: 

-|- VIII. Nathaniel,^ born March 16, 1670. 
-f- IX. William,^ born probably in 1672. 

The death of DanieP does not appear in the 
Chelmsford Records. The Town Clerk writes : 
" A note at the end of the earliest records says 
that when this copy was made from the first 
' Book of Records,' in many places it was torn and 
defaced, and in other places the births and deaths 
wholly lost, so that all could not be perfectly 
transcribed." This may account for some names 
that otherwise could be found. 

Thomas^ {Daniel,^ Thomas^), son of DanieP 
and Mary (Butterfield) Blodgett, born in Chelms- 
ford, June 25, 1654; assessed 1720 to 1721. He 
probably died March 30, 1741, aged 87 years.f 
He married first, " 29''^ 4*'^ mo." (June), 1682, 
Mary, daughter of Joseph Parkis, of Chelmsford, 
born Aug. 10, 1657. The date of her death is 
uncertain ; Chelmsford Recor^^s say Sept. 9, 1694, 



* Middlesex Births, Marriages and Deaths, 
t Westford Records. 



98 Thomas Blodgett 

an evident error, as a son Benoni" was born Oct. 
22, 1694. 

Children, born in Chelmsford : 

I. Rebecca,'* born April 12, 1684. 
-f- n. Thomas, Jr.,'* born prob. 1686. 
-\- III. Joseph,'* born Oct. 10, 1689. 
-\- IV. Benoni,'* born Oct. 22, 1694. Res., Windsor, 
Ct. 

He married second, July 8, 1696, Mary Druse, 
of Concord, and had 

-f- V. John,"* born Nov. 26, 1698. 
VI. Samuel,'* born Sept. 27, 1702. 
VII. Mary,'* born Jan. 4, 1706 ; prob. married about 

I733> Moses Foster. 
VIII. Anne,'* born May 9, 1714. 

Benjamin' (^Daniel,'' Thomas^'), son of DanieP 
and Mary (Butterfield) Blodgett, was born in 
Chelmsford, Mass., but his birth does not appear 
in the town records. According to Savage he 
was born 1658. Chelmsford Records have his 
marriage to Mary Pellat, of Concord, Feb. 4, 1683, 
and his death April 9, 1 708 ; she died June 8, 
1749. 

Children, born in Chelmsford : 

I. Anna,-* born Jan. 19, 1686/7. 
II. Daniel," born "Feb. y^ ist, 1689/90. Per- 
haps died April 14, 1761. Funeral April 
16."* 



* Chelmsford Records. 



And His Descetidants 99 

III. A daughter, born Oct. 31, 1694. 

-|- IV. Benjamin/ born March 6, 1697. 

V. Elizabeth/ born Dec. 15, 1699. 

Jonathan^ {^Daniel,'' Thomas^'), son of Daniel^ 
and Mary (Butterfield) Blodgett, born in Chelms- 
ford, Mass., Sept. 18, 1660, is found at Salisbury, 
Mass., where he probably married Feb. 7, 1687/8, 
Mary, daughter of Rev. Joseph Rowlandson. She 
was admitted to the church in Salisbury, Aug. 20, 
1693. 

Children : 

I. Hannah,"* born June 15, 1689 ; baptized Sept. 
3, 1693. 
II. Daniel,"* born Sept. 12, 169 1 ; died Sept. 18, 
1691. 

III. Mary,'* born Oct. 11, 1692 ; baptized Sept. 3, 

1693. 

IV. Joseph,'* born Aug. 12, 1694; died Nov. 15, 

1696. 

V. A daughter, born ; baptized Sept. 30 

1694.* 
VI. Sarah,'* born ; baptized December, 1699. 

From Records of the First Church in Salisbury : — 

1693, 20th August, Goodwife Blodged admitted to full communion. 

1693, 3d Sept., Hannah and Mary daughters of Goodwife Blodged 
bapt. 

1694, 30th Sept., A daughter of Goodwife Blodged baptised. 
1699, , Sarah ye daughter of Jonathan Blodged. 



*Possibly this should be son Joseph. 



I. \jX (j. 



lOO Thomas B lodge tt 

Samuel^ (^Daniel,'' Thomas^'), son of DanieP 
and Mary (Butterfield), Blodgett, born in Chelms- 
ford, Oct. 12, 1662. The only subsequent infor- 
mation is derived from Savage, who says, " He 
died at Woburn July 3, 1687, "^"^^ Samuel Blod- 
gett, of Woburn, was appointed administrator." 
This administrator may have been either his 
uncle Samuel, '' or his cousin Samuel ;^ there are 
no data for determining. See record of Samuel,^ 
of Woburn, on page 113 below. 

Nathaniel^ (^Daniel,'' Thomas^), son of DanieP 
and Sarah (Underwood) Blodgett, born in Chelms- 
ford, Mass., March 16, 1670; married July 17, 
1695, Elizabeth Warren of Chelmsford. There is 
no record of assessment. The " Early History of 
Hollis, N. H.," says : — "At a meeting of the in- 
habitants of the West Parish in Dunstable, assem- 
bled January 18, 1742, called Mr. Daniel Emerson 
for their Gospel minister, etc. Nathaniel Blodgett 
was one of the signers." 

William^ {Daniel,' Thomas'") , son of Daniel' 
and probably Sarah (Underwood) Blodgett. His 
birth is not recorded in Chelmsford town records, 
but it seems probable that he was the second 
child of DanieP and Sarah his second wife. That 
he was the son of DanieP is beyond reasonable 
doubt, for there is no other place for him. He 
was probably born about 1671 or 1672, as his 



And His Descendants lOi 

father DanieP died, according to Savage, Jan. 28, 
1672. In Chelmsford Tax Lists he is called Dea. 
William Blodgett, and was assessed from 1720 to 
1728, indicating that he died about the latter date. 
There are no Tax Lists extant prior to 1720. He 
married June 14, 1696, Mary Warren who prob- 
bably died June 7, 1749. 

Children : 
-1- L William,^ Jr., born March 13, 1697. 

IL Sarah/ born Jan. 6, 1698. 
+ in. Mary/ born Jan. 22, 1701. Perhaps married 
Andrew Foster of Chelmsford, Dunstable 
and Grot on. 
4- IV. Jacob,4 born March 23, 17—, probably 1703. 
V. Elizabeth,'' born March 11, 1705. 
VL Abigail," born April 4, 1707. 
-f VIL JosiAH," born July 27, 1709.* 
Vin. Persis," born March 7, 171 2. 
IX. Hannah,'' born Dec. 6, 171 5. 
X. Thankful," born April 28, 17 19. 



Thomas," Jr. {Thomas ■> Daniel,' Thomas'), son 
of Thomas^ and probably Mary (Parkis) Blodgett. 
This lineage is beset with difficulties, as it in- 
volves records both of Chelmsford and Westford. 
Most of the Blodgetts lived in what was the West 
Precinct of Chelmsford until it was set off as the 
town of Westford in 1729 ; hence the record is in- 



* See Westford Recs. 



102 Thomas Blodzett 



<s' 



complete, as it is partly in Chelmsford and partly 
in Westford. He was assessed in Chelmsford 
1720 to 1728. There is no record of his birth in 
either town. That he was the son of Thomas,^ is 
evident from the fact that in the tax lists of Chelms- 
ford the father is designated as " Senior," and the 
son as " Junior." From a careful study of all 
obtainable facts, the compiler concludes that he 
was probably the oldest son of Thomas,^ and was 
born about 1686 ; this assumed date is fortified by 
the fact of his wife's birth in 1686, as will appear 
below. The record of his marriage is : " Thomas 
Blodgett and Tabitha Blanchard, both of Chelms- 
ford, married by Justice Minott, Concord, Sept. 
30, 1719." 

Their children were probably as follows : — 

I. Tabitha,5 born "Jan. y® 2d, 1719/20." 

II. AbigaiLjS born ; probably died young. 

III. Thomas,5 born July 28 ; baptized Aug. 10, 
1729. 

He is thus mentioned in the History of West- 
ford : 

" Thomas* Blodgett, Jr., occupied a tract of 40 acres on 
the west side of Tadmuck Hill. He lived on the Heywood 
place, and died 1741." 

This statement of his death is erroneous ; it was 
the father, Thomas,^ who died 1741, aged %"] 
years. Thomas,'* Jr., probably died in 1730, but 
his death does not appear in either Chelmsford or 



And His Descendants 103 

Westford records. His will, dated May 16, 1730, 
approved June 26, 1730, is recorded in "Middle- 
sex Wills," Book 19, page 92. In it he mentions 
wife Tabitha, son Thomas under 2 1 years of age, 
daughter Tabitha and daughter Abigail ; his wife 
and Deacon John Fletcher were executors. There 
is no later mention of him in the tax lists, but the 
widow Tabitha appears subsequently in several, 
having been assessed in 1730, 1732, and 1735. 

Other papers on file with his will show that 
"Widow Tabitha died March i, 1764, aged about 
76 years, and that said widow and both daughters 
were under guardianship as Non Corns" There 
is no further information concerning the son 
Thomas.' 

Joseph* {Thomas,^ Daniel,'' Thomas'), son of 
Thomas' and Mary (Parkis) Blodgett, was born 
in Chelmsford, Mass., Oct. 10, 1689.* About 
1710 he removed from that part of Chelmsford 
known as the West Precinct (incorporated as the 
town of Westford, 1729), to that part of Dun- 
stable which in 1732 became Nottingham, and in 
1 741, Nottingham West, now Hudson, N. H., a 
date so early that he had to live in a " garrison " 
for protection from Indians.f 

The date of his marriage is not known, but it is 
probable that it was after he settled in Hudson, 

* Chelmsford Records. t See Appendix F, p. 87, supra. 



104 Thomas Blodgett 

for in 1 710 he would have been but 21 years old, 
and the birth of his oldest child indicates that he 
was not married until several years after his re- 
moval thither. His wife was Dorothy, daughter 
of Joseph Perham, born July 9, 1696. He died 
Dec. 3, 1 76 1, in his 73d year; she died March 6, 
1778, aged 82. 

There is difficulty in tabulating the children of 
this family ; Hudson Records mention the birth 
of but two daughters, Dorothy and Rebecca, but 
have the marriage of an " Abigail." Mr. Kimball 
Webster, who is an authority on Hudson geneal- 
ogies, ventures the opinion that Dorothy changed 
her name and was married as "Abigail." The 
evidence against this theory is too long to be 
quoted here, but the family tradition that there 
were three daughters, is so clear, direct and con- 
clusive, the compiler is forced to adopt that view. 
It simply means that the birth of one daughter 
was not recorded, an omission quite too common. 
Adopting this view, the record of his family may 
be stated as follows. 

Children, born in Hudson : 

X I. Joseph,? born Feb. 9, 1718/19.* 
X II. EbenezeRjS born Jan. 3, 1720.! 
X III. Jeremiah,5 born July 20, 1721. 

* The descent of Daniel2 will not be carried further in the present 
volume ; the X preceding names of the fifth generation indicates that 
the line has been traced. 

t See Plymouth, N. H., Records. 



And His Descendants 105 

IV. Abigail,5 born probably in 1723 ; married May 
27, 1744, Samuel Greeley,* died March 20, 
1818. 
V. DoROTHY,5 born Feb. 18, 1724; probably 

married first, Thompson, and second, 

Onesiphorus Marsh, and settled at Plymouth, 
N. H. 
VI. Rebecca,5 born Feb. 3, 1728 ; married prob- 
ably, Samuel Merrill, Jr.,f and removed to 
Plymouth. She lived to be nearly 100 years 
of age. 
X VII. JoNATHAN,5 born Dec. 5, 1730. 
X VIII. James,5 born Feb. 17, 1734; settled in Ply- 
mouth. 

In the Town Records of Mason, N. H., is men- 
tion of Joseph Blodget as one of the Grantees of 
what is now the town of Mason, 1749, and after- 
ward owning an allotted section of the same in his 
own right. It is probable that this was Joseph." 

Benoni" {Thomas,^ Daniel,- Thomas'), son of 
Thomas^ and Mary (Parkis) Blodgett was born 
in Chelmsford, Oct. 22, 1694; went to Windsor, 
Conn., about 1720, and was the progenitor of the 
numerous branch of the family in that town. He 

* There is a gravestone in "Blodgett Cemetery," Hudson, inscribed 
" To the memory of The Widow Abigail Greeley, wife of Major Samuel 
Greeley late of Wilton, dec'd, who died March 20, A. D. 1818, in the 95 
year of her age." 

t According to Hon. Caleb' Blodgett, of Canaan, N. H., this Merrill 
was killed in battle in the French war. 



io6 Thomas Blodgett 

married , Abigail Booth, probably daughter 

of Simon and Rebecca. He erected a house 
about 1725, near that of his father-in-law, two 
miles from the Connecticut river and near the 
Enfield line. It was occupied by five generations 
of Blodgetts. He died Feb. 4, 1773, aged 79. 
Children, born in Windsor: 

X I. David,5 born . 

X n. JosiAHjS born , 1724. 

X in. Ebenezer,5 born . 

X IV. Elijah,5 born . 

X V. Abner,s born , 1737. 

VI. Rebecca,5 born . 

VII. AnnAjS born . 

John" {Thomas,^ Daniel,'' Thomas'^, son of 
Thomas^ and Mary (Druse) Blodgett, was born 
in Chelmsford, Nov. 26, 1698 ; assessed there 
1 72 1 to 1725, and in Westford 1730 to 1735 ; he 
married Abigail Blanchard ; published July 14, 
1723. 

Children : 

X I. Samuel,5 born Aug. 28, 1724.* 

II. EstheRjS born Feb. 6, 1730; a pauper in 
Westford many years. Child : 

I. Thankful,^ born Dec. 29, 1769. 

X III. James,5 born Jan. 19, 1733. 

* Chelmsford Records. 



And His Descendants 107 

In Westford Town Proceedings is this entry : — 

"Feb. 10, 1776, Pay Dea. Henry Wright the sum of ^i for 
Milk, Butter and Cheese and six yards of cloath for womans gar- 
ments, and making them up, for John Blodget's wife and girl." 

Benjamin" (^Benjamin,^ Daniel,'' Thomas^), son 
of Benj'amin^ and Mary (Pellat) Blodgett, was born 
in Chelmsford, Mass., March 6, 1697 ; assessed 
1720 to 1732 ; married by Rev. Willard Hall, Feb. 
14, 1733, Elizabeth Fletcher of Westford.* He 
received a Land Grant in 1717. 

May 27, 1735. "Benjamin Blodgett and wife of Litch- 
field sell for ^50 R. E. 3 acres 25 rods." 

In records of the First Church of Westford : 

Baptisms: — 173 7- Jan. 30, Elizabeth Blogget daughter 
of Benjamin of Litchfield. 

Benjamin Blodgett and Susanna McLain married Jan. 14, 
1762. 

A Benjamin Blodgett was assessed in Chelmsford 
1761-1763. 

Was this Benjamin, 4 or a Benjamin. 5 whose birth is not 
shown ? 

In " Removals from Westford," "To Litchfield, N. H., 
Benjamin Blodgett, son-in-law of Dea. Joshua Fletcher." 

William-* ( William,^ Daniel,^ Thomas^) , son of 
William^ and Mary (Warren) Blodgett, was born 
in Chelmsford, Mass., March 13, 1697. ^^ ^^^ 
known as Lieut. William; assessed 1720 to 1729; 

* Westford Records. 



io8 Thomas Blodgett 

died May 1779, aged 83. He and Elizabeth 
Wright, " both of Chelmsford," were published 
Dec. 10, 1 72 1. Her funeral was on Sept. 13, 
1769.* 
Children : 

I. Elizabeth,5 born Oct. 4, 1722. 
II. WiLLiAMjS born Dec. i, 1724; died 1774, aged 
50.1 Assessed in Westford 1754/5, 1758, 
1760, 1762. 
^ III. SiME0N,5 born Feb. 6, 1727. 

IV. Ebenezer,5 born July 15, 1729: died Jan. i, 

1733/4. 
V. HannaHjS born Jan. 9, 173 1/2. 

VI. RuTH,5 born March 5, 1734/5 ; died Oct. 15, 

1749. 

VII. ReubeNjS born May 25, 1737; died Sept. 22, 

1749. 
VIII. EsTHERjS born Nov. 6, 1739; prob. married 
Aug. 15, 1 77 1, John Robie. 
IX. Olive,5 born June 27, 1742; baptized July 4, 
1742; died Sept. 24, 1749. 

Jacob'' i^William,^ Daniel,'' Thomas^'), son of 
William^ and Mary (Warren) Blodgett, was born 
March 23, 170-, (probably 1703,) and assessed 
in Chelmsford, Mass., 1725 to 1729. He was 
one of the " Snow-shoe Company " of Chelmsford, 
in 1724, in Lovell's War. He and his brother 

* Chelmsford Records. t Westford Records. 



And His Descendants 109 

William'* received a land grant, 172 1-2. He mar- 
ried , Mary . 

Children : 
I. Zacheus,5 born March 17, 1726/7.* 
X II. Oliver,5 born March 24, 1727/8. 

XlII. NehemiaHjS born , 1732; he was assessed 

in Chelmsford, 1757-1760; removed to Farm- 
ington, Me. 

JosiAH" {^William,^ Daniel,^ Thomas,"^), son of 
William^ and Mary (Warren) Blodgett, was born 
in Chelmsford, Mass., July 27, 1709, but his sub- 
sequent record is found in Dunstable, where 
there is frequent mention of him. 

" Josiah Blodgett protested against location of Meeting 
House." 

In 1743 he was "Dear Reave to prevent killing of 
Dear out of season." 

Josiah Blodgett is one "of y^ 14 in account of y® 
names of y^ Fifteen Highest Payers which was to Draw 
y« Pew Ground as They were voted By y^ Second Parish 
Dunstable first of all." [It seems they built their own 
pews on ground selected as above.] 

Josiah Blodgett was on a Committee "to see that the 
minister has his wood by Jan. i, 1762 or get it them- 
selves." 

In 1764 he was a "Quirester on y^ Congregation" (to 
set the tune). 

* History of Rindge, N. H., page 97, has this: — "Zacheus Blodgett 
killed in an attack by Indians July 5, 1748." This evidently refers to 
Zacheus,^ as this is the only instance of the name. 



no Thomas Blodzett 



i3 ' 



In 1778 he is credited for Army service £6. 

Nov., 1778, "Voted to allow .... Josiah Blodgett 
who did service on the Guards at Cambridge five pounds 
per month for a bounty from the Parish." This last 
entry may refer to his son Josiah.s although he is usually 
designated as Junior. 

He married April 13, 1737, Jemima Nutting of 
Groton ; he died Feb. 9, 1792, in the eighty-fourth 
year of his age ; she died Nov. 24, 1810, aged 91. 

Children, born in the old homestead in Dun- 
stable : 

X I. JosiAH,5 born Nov. 28, 1737.* 

II. JoNATHANjS born May 16, 1743. 
X III. David,5 born Dec. 16, 1744.! 

IV. Bridget,^ born Dec. 31, 1746; died Jan. 15, 
1794, ae. 47 years ; married July 16, 1767, 
Oliver Taylor, born Dec. 31, 1746, died ae. 
yy years, 4 months, 22 days. Children 
probably : 

I. Oliver Taylor,^ born . 



2. Cyrus C. Taylor,*^ born April i, 1784. 

X V. Jacob,s born Jan. 8, 1748/9. 

X VI. JoHN,s born Feb. i, 1750. 

X VII. Zebulon,s born Jan. 29, 1753. 

VIII. Sarah,s born April 13, 1755; married Nov. 
24, 1777, Josiah Danforth. 

* See Dunstable Records. f See Mason, N. H., Records. 



And His Descendants in 

IX. LydiAjS (in Dunstable Records Lidia) born Oc- 
tober, 1758; married May 11, 1780, Jesse 
Butterfield, who marched to Lexington on 
the morning of the battle, was in the Battle 
of Bunker Hill, and served through the Rev- 
olutionary War. She is described as a noble 
woman of the Puritan stamp. Immediately 
after the formal declaration of peace, Mr. and 
Mrs. Butterfield, with their two young chil- 
dren, one an infant in arms, started on their 
long journey through the wilderness from 
Dunstable to Sandy River, now Farming- 
ton, Me. She died June 12, 1837. Seven 
children are recorded.* 

1. Allis [Alice] Butterfield,^ born in Dun- 

stable, June II, 178 1. 

2. Jacob Warren Butterfield,^ born in Dun- 

stable, March 12, 1783. 

3. Asa Butterfield,^ born in Farmington, Me., 

Aug. 30, 1786. 

4. Jemima Butterfield,^ born in Farmington, 

April 7, 1792. 

5. Susy Butterfield,^ born in Farmington, May 

3o> 1794- 

6. Jesse Butterfield,^ born in Farmington, March 

28, 1799. 

7. Otis Butterfield,^ born in Farmington, April 

30, 1801. 

X. Jemima,5 born Feb. 8, 1760; married July 4, 
1793, John Parham of Tyngsboro'. 

* Butler's History of Farmington, Me. 



112 Thomas Blodgett 

X XI. WiLLiAMjS born March 3, 1762. 

XII. Abigail,* born Sept. 4, 1764; married March 
4, or June 15, 1784, John Chaney, Jr., a 
Revolutionary soldier. 

In Dunstable Records is this marriage : — Lieut. John 
Cheeney and Mrs. Elizabeth Blodgett, July 6, 1777 ; she 
must have been of 5th generation, as there does not ap- 
pear to have been any of 6th generation of marriageable 
age in Dunstable, in 1777. Was she daughter of Josiah* 
and Jemima, born between 1737 and 1743? There ap- 
pears to have been room for her. It would follow that 
she was first wife of Lieut. John Chaney, or Cheeney, 
and that after her decease, he married her younger sis- 
ter, Abigail. 

It is a family tradition that four sons of Josiah'* were 
at the siege and capture of Louisburg. 



%B§i^ 




■in) 



SAMUEW THOMAS; 




AMUEL,- son of Thomas' and 
[^^ Susan Blodgett, was born in 
England, 1633, '^^^ settled at 
Wobnrn, Mass., where his de- 
scendants became numerous and 
influential. He was " Deputy to 
the General Court, 1693," " Commissioner of the 
Rate, 1692," " Selectman i68r, 1690, 1691, 1693, 
1695, 1696, 1697, 1703."==' 

He was assessed in Woburn, 1666 to 1719, and 
died there May 21, 1720, aged nearly 87 years. 
Savage gives his death July 3, 1693, an evident 
error, as he was assessed until 17 19. Woburn 
Records have the death of Samuel Blodgett, July 
3, 1687, but this was probably Samuel,' son of 
Daniel,' of Chelmsford, who. according to Savage, 
died at Woburn July 3. 1687, and " Samuel Blod- 
gett of Woburn was appointed Administrator." 



* Woburn Records. 



114 Thomas Blodgett 

This Samuel may have been his uncle (SamueP), 
or his cousin, Samuel, =* then twenty-nine years old. 
The only objection to this assumption of the death 
of Samuel,^ son of Daniel,^ in Woburn, is that it 
appears to be the only instance where the Chelms- 
ford (Daniel') and the Woburn (SamueP) families 
fraternized 

It is a curious fact (if the premises are correct), 
that, with this single exception, the entire family 
of Daniel' lived in Chelmsford, and the entire 
family of Samuel' lived in Woburn, yet the his- 
tories and records of the families do not show any 
affiliation. 

Paige, in his " History of Cambridge," makes 
the death of Samuel,' May 21, 1720, aged nearly 
87 ; this is consistent with the date of birth and 
with an imperfect record of a death in Woburn : — 

"Blodgett, s. of , May 21, 1720." 

He married Dec. 13, 1655, R^ith, daughter of 
Stephen Eggleton,"^ and lived in Woburn. 
Children, born in Woburn : 

I. RuTH,-^ born Dec. 28, 1656; married, probably 
1673, Thomas Kendall, of Woburn; she 
died Dec. 18, 1695, 
-\- II. Samuel,^ born Dec. 10, 1658; died Nov. 5, 

1743- 



* Woburn Records. " Eggledon," in Paige's Cambridge ; "Iggle- 
ton," Savage. 



And His Descendants 115 

+ III. Thomas,^ born Feb. 26, 1661 ; died Sept. 29, 
1740, 36. 80. 

IV. Susanna,^ born ; married Dec. 29, 1685, 

James Simonds. Her birth does not appear 
in Woburn Records, but her marriage does ; 
she must have been the daughter of Samuel,^ 
as there is no other place for her. Judging 
by her marriage she was probably born be- 
tween Thomas^ and Sarah,^ say about 1663 or 
1664. In " Middlesex Marriages, Births and 
Deaths," her name is given as Hannah when 
married, but her birth is not stated. She 
appears to have had a daughter Sarah, ^ who 
married Samuel Wilson, and after his death 
married Feb. 19, 1755, Deacon Edward John- 
son, as his third wife; she died March 12, 
1765, ae. 80 years.*" 
V. Sarah,' born Feb. 17, 1668; married Jan. 7, 

1687, John Hayward of Concord. 
VI. Martha,-' twin, born Sept. 15, 1673; married 
April 7, 1696, Joseph Winn. 
VII. Mary,3 twin, born Sept. 15, 1673 ; married Oct. 
24, 1693, Joseph Richardson, by Mr. Charles 
Morton, minister of Charlestown. 

Samuel' {^Samuel,^ Thomas'), son of SamueP 
and Ruth (Eggleton) Blodgett, was born in 
Woburn, Mass.. Dec. 10, 1658; and died Nov. 
5, 1743, aged nearly 85 years. He was known as 
Samuel, Jr., and Ensign Samuel, and was assessed 



*N. E. Hist, and Gen. Register, Lix : p. 145. 



ii6 TJiotnas Blod^^ett 



'&' 



in Wobiirn 1682 to 1740. He married April 30, 
1683, Hiildah Simonds, daughter of William and 
Judidi (Hayward-Phippen) Simonds, born Nov. 
20, 1666; died March 14, 1745/6. She was a 
sister to the James Simonds who married 1685, 
Susanna^ Blodgett, 
Their children were : 

-f- I. Samuel/ born Dec. 2, 1683. Went to Staf- 
ford, Conn. 

-f- TI. Daniel/ born March 24, 1685. His birth is 
not given in Woburn Records but is found 
in Wyman's " Genealogies and Estates of 
Charlestown." His children are recorded at 
Woburn. Went to Stafford, Conn. 

-|- HI. William, •» born Jan. 11, 1686. 

IV. Huldah,'' born Feb. 9, 1689 ; married Ebene- 
zer Reed.* 

-\- V. Caleb, "* born Nov. 11, 1691. 

-f- VI. Joshua,-* born Feb. 26, 1694. Went to Staf- 
ford, Conn. 

-f- VII. Josiah,'* born March 27, 1696 ; assessed in 
Woburn, 17 16-19. Went to Stafford, 
Conn. 
VIII. John,'* born April 19, 1699 ; assessed in Wo- 
burn, 1723-39; died Aug., 1757; married. 
May 14, 1722, Sarah Johnson of Woburn. 
No issue recorded. " Was in Indian and 
other wars previous to 1750." "John Blod- 
gett, in 1722, served 12 weeks, 2 days." 

* Woburn Records. 



And His Descendants 117 

" In 1758 it was Voted that the Selectmen are 
hereby directed and empowered to sell and dis- 
pose of the Lands and House that were John 
Bloggets late of Woburn, deceased."* 

-|- IX. Benjamin,* born March 4, 1701. 
-j- X. Nathan/ born March 15, 1704. 

Samuel,^ Jr., was a man of prominence In the 
affairs of his time ; he represented Woburn in the 
General Court in 1729, and was several times 
selectman. One of his sons, William, was a sol- 
dier under Major Tyng on his expedition to 
Canada during- the summer of 1709, and later in 
life was the Dr. William of Plainfield and Preston, 
Conn. Four of his sons, Samuel, Daniel, Joshua 
and Josiah, were among the earliest settlers of 
Stafford, Conn., about 17 19. 

Thomas' {Samuel,' Thomas'), son of Samuel' 
and Ruth (Eggleton) Blodgett, was born in 
Woburn, Mass., Feb. 26, i66i.t He married 
Nov. II, 1685, Rebecca Tidd, daughter of John 
and Rebecca (Wood) Tidd, then of Woburn, 
afterward of Lexington, born about 1665. She 
died, according to Woburn Records, March 8, 1 750. 
He died Sept. 29, 1740, aged 80 years. 



* Wobura Records. 

t Woburn Records. According to " Middlesex Marriages, Births and 



Deaths" he was born Jan. 25, 1660. 



1 1 8 Thofnas B lodge tt 

Children : 

-J- 1. Thomas/ born in Woburn, Aug. $, 1686. 

II. Rebecca,^ born in Woburn, June 5, 1689 ; mar- 
ried , John Russell,* and had 

1. Rebecca Russell, s born June 24, 17 11. 

2. Adonijah Russell,5 born Feb. 25, 17 12/13. 

3. Abigail Russell,5 born Feb. 15, 17 15/16. 

4. John Russell,5 born April 16, 17 19. 

5. Solomon Russell,^ born Aug. 5, 1723. 

III. Ruth,'* born Oct. 14, 1694. Probably born in 
Woburn and died young. 
-|- IV. Joseph,'* born Sept. 17, 1696. 

V. Abigail,-* born Nov. 7, 1698, by Woburn Rec. ; 
Lexington Rec. have bapt. in Lexington, 
Nov. 3, 1698. From Second Precinct, now 
Budington, Church Record, 

" Abigail Blodgett admitted to church Aug. 18, 
1736." She married , Peter Reed, t 

-f- VI. Samuel,^ born ; bapt. June 17, 1702. 

The above are all in Woburn Records of births ; in 
Lexington Records Ruth is omitted altogether, and 
Abigail and Samuel are recorded baptized in Lexington, 
as if born there. 

In Woburn Record of deaths are : 

Child of Thomas and Rebecca, April 13, 1688 ; [probably 
born between Thomas and Rebecca]. 

Child of Thomas and Rebecca, , 1691 ; [probably 

born between Rebecca and Ruth]. 

* Paige's History of Cambridge. t Ibid. 



And His Descendants 1 19 

Thomas^ appears to have been assessed in Wo- 
burn from 1684 to 1689. Although he removed 
to Lexington some years earHer, his first assess- 
ment in that town was in 1691. He was the 
ancestor of the greater part of the Lexington 
Blodgetts, and one of the most active and prom- 
inent citizens. Capt. Blodgett, as he was famil- 
iarly called, was a subscriber to the meeting-house 
in the Precinct in 1692. He and his wife were 
added to the church March 5, 1699, by a letter 
of dismissal from the Woburn church. He was an 
assessor in 17 10, and after the incorporation of 
the town he filled nearly every place of honor and 
trust, in 1 7 14, he was chosen one of the select- 
men, an office to which he was afterward re- 
elected. He also represented the town in the 
General Court. 

Among the town offices was that of tything- 
man, then regarded as of the first moment. 
Often the leading men of the town, the best and 
most worthy, were elected to that office, it being 
esteemed as of even more dignity than that of 
selectman. At the first town meeting Thomas 
Blodgett was elected tythingman. 

He lived on Adams Street, near the intersec- 
tion of North Street. It is recorded in Hud.son's 
" History of Lexington," that he gave i pound, 
10 shillings, towards the first meeting-house, and 
5 shillings towards the purchase of Lexington 
Common, at a meeting held April, 171 1. At an- 



I20 Thomas B lodge tt 

other meeting, Jan. 9, 17 13, it was voted to build 
a new church on the plan of the one at Concord, 
and Thomas Blodgett and four others were ap- 
pointed to carry the measure into effect. 

In Hudson's " History of Lexington," the death 
of the wife Rebecca is given as July 3, 17 16; 
but Paige's "History of Cambridge" says, "In 
Thomas's^ will, made Oct. 26, 1738, his wife Re- 
becca and all his children except Ruth are men- 
tioned," and this makes it clear that the Lexing- 
ton record of her death in 17 16 is erroneous. 

The will of Thomas^ Bloggett was hied in the 
Probate Office Oct. 27, 1740, approved Nov. 
24, 1740, and is recorded with Middlesex Wills, 
Book 22, page 34: it mentions wife Rebecca; son 
Thomas ; son Joseph, who had /20 extra ; son 
Samuel; daughter Rebekah Russell, who had £\o 
extra and daughter Abigail Reed. Sons Thomas 
and Samuel had extra. Other papers on file with 
the will show that Abigail's husband was Peter 
Reed. 



Samuel^ {Samuels Samuel^ Thomas'), son of 
Samuel,^ Jr., and Huldah (Simonds) Blodgett, was 
born in Woburn, Mass., Dec. 2, 1683, and died at 
Stafford, Conn., Dec. 12, 1762. His marriage is 
not recorded in Woburn, but in the record of 
Births there, are the following children of Samuel 
and Lydia Blodgett : 



And His Descendants 12 1 

X I. Samuel,s born Dec. 27, 1704; went to Staf- 
ford, Conn.* 

X II. Henrv,s born June 27, 1708 ; went to Suffield, 
Conn. 

III. Sarah,5 born July 9, 171 3. 

IV. HuLDAHjS born Jan. 28, 17 17. 

V. A SoN,s name not ascertained, born at Stafford 
about 1 72 1. 

In VVoburn tax lists, Samueh is called Samuel 
Tertius, and after the death of his father, Samuel, 
Jr. He was assessed in Woburn, 1704 to 17 19. 
About the latter date he and his brothers, Daniel, 
Joshua, and Josiah, removed to Stafford, Conn., 
and their subsequent lineage must be traced in 
that town. 

Stafford was surveyed in 1718, and its settle- 
ment was begun in the spring of 1719. Among 
the earliest settlers were four brothers from Wo- 
burn, viz. ; Samuel, Daniel, Joshua and Josiah 
Blodgett (or Blogget, as it was then spelled), 
sons of Samuel^ and Huldah (Simonds) Blodgett. 
The family became very numerous in Stafford. 
They went thence to Monson, Mass., to Ran- 
dolph, Vt., Claremont, N. H., Lebanon, N. H., 
Chelsea, Vt., etc. 

In Hinman's " Early Puritan Settlers of Con- 
necticut " there is no mention of Samuel, the 
eldest brother, whose removal to Stafford is per- 
fectly clear, but he does mention Paul and " Ben- 

* The X indicates that the line has been traced. 



122 Thomas B lodge ft 

zen ; " there was, however, no Paul until the next 
generation, — Paul,^ son of Josiah,^ who was born 
May 26, 1737. By " Benzen " Hinman probably 
means Benjamin,^ a younger brother of the four 
above named, born March 4, 1701. He may 
have gone to Stafford for a few years, but if so, 
he returned to Woburn, where he was assessed 
1729 to 1763. Hinman is clumsy in expression 
and arransfement. 

Daiviel'* i^Samuel,^ Samuel,^ T/i07nas'), son of 
Samuel,^ Jr., and Huldah (Simonds) Blodgett. 
In Wyman's " Genealogies and Estates of Charles- 
town," his birth is given as March 24, 1685, but 
it does not appear in Woburn Records, although 
his marriage and the births of his children are 
recorded there. He married April 4, 1 709, Mary 
Mallet."^ He was assessed in Woburn 1707 to 
1712, but after the latter date he does not appear 
in the Woburn Records. He removed to Stafford, 
Conn., about 1719; died there Dec. 15, 1762. 

Children : 

X I. Daniel,5 born Jan. 19, 1710. 
II. Mary,s born June 23, 171 1. 
Perhaps others. 

William'* {Samuel,^ Samuel,'' Thomas'^, son of 
Samuel,^ Jr., and Huldah (Simonds) Blodgett, was 
born in Woburn, Mass., Jan. 11, 1686. He 

* Woburn Records. 



And His Descendants 123 

appears to have served in the expedition to 
Canada during the summer of 1709, as his father 
" Samuel Blogget of Wobourn " petitioned " The 
Governor, Her Majesties Counsell and Represen- 
tatives in General Court Assembled " to be reim- 
bursed for expenses attending the sickness of his 
son William Bloofeet at Watertown, while on Her 
Majesty's service, etc., and received forty shil- 
lings. 

He is next heard of as a physician at Plainfield, 
Conn., where his credentials appear in Plainfield 
Town Records as follows : — 

Dec 15, 1720. This is to certitie all whoaie it may con- 
cern that we the subscribers having examined William Blog. 
gett docf of physick concerning his Method in the practice 
of physick and According to the Account that he gives w& 
find his method is liy good Authority. 

in Boston (Patrick Lynch Do'^** 

(Edw. Broughton phy"- 
in providence John Jasper pract'°"* 
in Rehoboth Squire Allen prac. phis. 
Rhoadisland Oliver Arnold prac. phis. 
1.50 Norbert [illegible] 

P. M. Thos". Williams Gorman Docf 

Record""- Rehoboth Thos. Bowen prac. phis"- 

Brigwater Jont Randall chirurgeon 

and practioner of phisick. 

In Hinman's " Early Puritan Settlers of New 
Enp-land" he is mentioned in these terms: — 

Bloo-cret, Dr. William, of Plainfield, was probably at Plain- 
field as early as 17 15, as he had practiced some years be- 



1 24 Thomas Blodgett 

fore 1721. He was highly approved of as a physician in 
Plainfield and Canterbury, and in 172 1 he applied to the 
General Court for license to practice medicine, with full 
proof of his good moral character, and the satisfaction of 
the people of the towns aforesaid, of his skill and success ; 
but his petition was negatived on the ground that he was 
illiterate, and should not be received with the members of 
any learned profession — [meaning, probably, that he had 
not had a collegiate education]. 

He is mentioned as of Plainfield in a transfer 
of real estate in 1 7 1 9 : — 

William Blogget, physician, and Sarah his wife of Plain- 
field convey to Henry Cob of Plainfield land in Plainfield 
commonly called Tophet, April 30, 17x9- 

He is also mentioned as of Plainfield in real 
estate transfers in 1724, 1726, 1731, 1736. He 
later appears to have lived in Boston, as Town 
Records of Stonington, Conn., show that — 

January 6, 1737/8. Jonathan Chesebrough and Wife Con- 
vey Land (Two Deeds) to William Blodgget of Boston. 

February 19, 1739, William Jenison conveys 
land to William Blodgget of Boston. But April 
23. 17391 William Blogget of Preston, doctor, 
conveys to William Blogget, Jun., his son, 160 
acres of land in Preston. He appears to have 
died in Preston, 1750 or 1751, as shown by va- 
rious records relatino- to the settlement of his 
estate. 



And His Descendants 125 

He married , Sarah Hall, daughter of 

Stephen Hall, of Concord and Stow, and sister 
of Lieut. John Hall, of Plainfield, which explains 
why he settled there. In the distribution of the 
estate of Lieut. John Hall, a share went to " Sarah 
Blogget, youngest sister, March 28, 1727." 

Thomas Stevens as Attorney for William Blogget and his 
wife Sarah Blogget, sister to Lieut. John Hall, late of Plain- 
field, Dec'd, gives a receipt for her share of the estate April 

3> 1727-* 

Children : 

\. WiLLiAM,5 born ; he married probably 

Mary Starkweather, for in " Connecticut 
Marriages " the following record is found : 
"Wm. Blogct and Mary Starkweather of 
Preston-Griswold, June 23" [prob. 1738]. 
"She died April 4, 1785, in the 71st year 
of her age."t This would make her birth 
171 5 ; the natural inference is that the hus- 
band, William,5 was born as early as 171 5, 
and this is consistent with the birth of his 
brother Benjamin, which is of record May 
17, 1 71 7. He administered on his father's 
estate 1752. 

" William Blodget of Preston, Member of Gen- 
eral Assembly at New Haven, Oct., 1760."$ 

" William Blogget admitted to Church July 
30, 1742." 



* Willimantic Probate Records. t Preston Records 

X Colonial Records of Conn. 



126 Thomas B lodge tt 

William Bloggctt is named on a list of 
Freemen Inhabitants of Preston, 1786. He 
is several times mentioned in conveyances 
of real estate. No definite record of issue 
has been found. 
X H. Benjamin,s born May 17, 1717; died 1781. 
See " Lineage of Dr. Benjamin. 5 " 

III. Mary,5 born ; according to Preston Rec- 

ords, married "June y'^ 27th day, 1738, 
Ebenezer Freeman, both of Preston." She 
died "Aug. y 19, 1744." They had a 
daughter, 

I. Sarah Freeman,^ born "Feb. y^ 7, 1740." 

IV. LucY,5 born ; married " Dec. y^ 5th, 1748, 

JSfathan F'reeman, both of Preston." They 
had a daughter, 

I. Ruth Freeman,^ born "Oct. y^ 24, 1749 ; ' died 
" April ye 24, 175 1." 

V. EsTHER,s born ; married Pierce, of 

Plainfield. 

The above are all the children of whom men- 
tion has been found, but perhaps there were others. 
As to the daughters, there are no dates of births, 
and no data to establish their order. The above 
tabulation is therefore conjectural. 

Caleb^ {^Samuel,^ Samuel,^ Thomas'), son of 
Samuel,5 Jr., and Huldah (Simonds) Bloclgett. 
was born in Woburn, Mass., Nov. 11, 1691, and 



And His Descendants 127 

died June 17, 1745. He was an innholder, and 
was designated as " Capt." and "Mr.," both titles 
of respect. He was assessed 1712 to 1744. In 
1739 the " Proprietors" met at his house, and he 
was moderator of "Proprietors' meetings," 1739- 

1743. In 1744 he was Proprietors' clerk. There 
is a little uncertainty about his marriages. Ac- 
cording to Wyman's " Genealogies and Estates of 
Charlestown," he married, first, Sarah Wyman, 
born Jan. 17, 1690/ 1, by whom there were: 

Children : 

X I. Seth,5 born Feb. 20, 171 8. 

II. Caleb,5 born Dec. i, 1721 ; probably died 
Oct. 27, 1733.* 

X III. Samuel,* born April i, 1724 (of Amoskcag 
fame). 
IV. SusANNA,5 born June 19, 1727. 

He appears to have married, second, Aug. 7, 

1744, Elizabeth Wyman, a second cousin of his 
first wife, Sarah, by whom he had : 

V. Elizabeth,* born Oct. 27, 1744. 

But in Woburn Records, in a list of " Epitaphs 
in First Burial Ground," is this : — 

Memento Mori. Fugit Hora. 

Here lyes y^ body of Elizabeth Blogget wife of Caleb Blogget 
Aged about 22 years. Died May 24, 17 13. 



*"Son of Capt. Caleb and Sarah Blogget, died Oct. 27, 1733." — 
Woburn Records. 



128 Thomas Blodgett 

So far as appears there was but one Caleb Blog- 
get to whom this could apply, — namely Caleb/ 
whose lineage we are considering. At the time 
of Elizabeth's death, "aged about 22 years," 
Caleb' was not quite twenty-two years old ; it 
therefore means an early marriage and an early 
bereavement ; no other explanation seems pos- 
sible to the present compiler. If the graveyard 
epitaph is correct, it indicates that there was a 
wife Elizabeth, who died in 17 13, aged about 22 
years ; that his second wife was Sarah Wyman. 
and his third wife was Elizabeth Wyman. 

In Woburn Records, 1745, is mention of Widow 
Elizabeth Blodgett, Innholder. 

Joshua^ {^Samuel: Samuel,^ Thomas'^, son of 
Samuel,^ Jr., and Huldah (Simonds) Blodgett, 
was born in Woburn, Mass.. Feb. 26, 1694; he 
was assessed there 17 15 to 17 19, and married 
Dinah, probably daughter of John and Dinah 
(Knight) Morse, of Watertown, Mass. About 
1 7 19 he went to Stafford, Conn. (See lineage of 
Samuel), and was one of the original proprietors 
of that town. 

His children were : 

I. Katherine,5 born in Woburn, July 31, 1717.* 
X II. JosHUA,5 born probably in Stafford, Jan. 10, 

I72l/2.t 



* Woburn Records. f Stafford Records. 



And His Descendants 129 

X III. James, 5 born in Stafford, Dec. 12, 1723.! 
IV. Mary,5 born in Stafford, April r, 1727.! 
V. A daughter, unknown. 

Tradition relates that Joshua" disappeared from 
Stafford about 1 734, on account of some social 
defection. 

JosiAH" {Samuel,"' Samuel,'' Thomas'), son of 
Samuel,^ Jr., and Huldah (Simonds) Blodgett, 
was born in Woburn, Mass., March 27, 1696; he 
was assessed at Woburn, 1716-19, and was one 
of the original proprietors and settlers of Staf- 
ford, Conn., whither he went about 17 19. (See 
lineage of Samuel.'') He appears to have mar- 
ried before the removal, as the birth of his first 
child is recorded at Woburn. " He and his bro- 
ther Daniel built the old dam at the Furnace." 
He died at Stafford, 1756; the inventory of his 
estate' was about ^160. Hinman gives his wife's 
name as Margaret, which is probably erroneous, 
for both Woburn and Stafford records have the 
name of the mother of his children as Elizabeth ; 
her family name has not been ascertained, as 
there is no record of his marriage. 

Children : 

I. Elizabeth, 5 born in Woburn, Jan. 12, 17 19.* 
II. RuTH,5 born in Stafford, May 20, 1772; mar- 
ried Nov. 9, 1748, Jacob Green, Jr. 

* Woburn Records. The Stafford Records have it Jan. 17. 



130 Thomas Blodgett 

III. JosiAH,5 born in Stafford, Dec. 24, 1724; ap- 
parently died young (see next). 
X IV. JosiAH,5 born in Stafford, Nov. 29, 1726; mar- 
ried Mary , by Rev. Eli Cotton. 

"Josiah Blogget, Jr., died Dec. 7, 1755."* 

V. Paul,5 born Aug. 7, 1729; apparently died 
young, as there was another of the same name 
born 1737 (see below). 

VI. SusANNA,5 b. ; "dyed May 15, 1732."! 

X VII. SiLAs,5 born Jan. 22, 173 1/2. 

VIII. SusANNA,5 born Jan. 12, 1733. 
X IX. Paul,5 born May 26, 1737. 

X. Sarah,5 born April 4, 1741 ; probably married 
March 6, 1769, Aaron Fulton. 

Benjamin^ (^Samuel,"' Samuel,'' Thomas^'), son 
of Samuel,^ Jr,, and Huldah (Simonds) Blod- 
gett, was born in Woburn, Mass., March 4, 1701, 
and assessed there 1729-30, 1732-4, 1737-63. 
His life appears to have been spent in Woburn, 
at least until he was 62 years of age, but there is 
no record of marriage, children or death. There 
is in 1745, in Proceedings of Proprietors, this men- 
tion of Benjamin Blodgett: "To see if Proprie- 
tors will grant or sell him site for Smiths Shop, 
etc." And in Record of Deaths is : " Widow of 
Benjamin (Blodgett) of old age, Sept. i, 1801." 

As no other Benjamin appears in Woburn Rec- 
ords these items may refer to him. 

* Stafford Records. t Ibid. 



Afid His Descendants 131 

Nathan"* {^Samuel,^ Samuel,'' Thomas^^, son 
of Samuel,' Jr.. and Huldah (Simonds) Blod- 
gett, was born in Woburn. Mass., March 15, 
1704. He was assessed there, 1725- 1746, and 
died Sept. 24, 1747.'^ He probably married Abi- 
gail Converse, June 4, 1727, and was known as 
" Ensig-n " and " Captain." 

Children : 

I. Abigail,5 born Nov. 23, 1732; died Jan. 13, 

i733t 
II. Nathan, 5 born Sept. 10, 1737; died Sept. 13, 

1737- 
III. Probably Mehitable.5 Woburn 2d Precinct 

(now Burlington) Church records have " Me- 

hitable, dau. of Nathan Blodgett, bap. March 

13, 1757" 

Thomas-* {Tho^naSy' Samuel,'' Tho^nas'^, son of 
Thomas' and Rebecca (Tidd) Blodgett, was born 
in Woburn, Mass., Aug. 5, 1686. While young, 
his parents removed to Lexington, Mass., where 
he was assessed 1744 and 1752/71. He resided 
with or near his father. He died in Lexington, 

March i , 1 77 1 . He married Mary ; she 

was admitted to the church in Lexington, Feb. 18, 
1728, with twenty-two others. She died about 

1753- 

*"Capt. Nathan, of , d. Sept. 24, 1747 in his 44th year." — 

Woburn Record of Deaths. 
t Woburn Records. 



132 Thomas B lodge tt 

Children, born in Lexington : 

I. Rebecca,5 born Feb. 15, 17 16. 
X II. Thomas,5 born April 29, 17 17. 

III. Ebenezer,s born March 4, 1721 ; assessed 
1752/71 ; he was in the French war, 1760. 
X IV. Amos,5 born July i, 1723. 
X V. Phinehas,5 born March 8, 1726. 
X VI. Jonathan,^ born June 28, 1729. 

Joseph" {Thomas,^ Samuel,^ Thomas'), son of 
Thomas' and Rebecca (Tidd) Blodgett, was born 
in Woburn, Mass., Sept. 17, 1696; died Jan. 10, 
1783. When he was quite young his parents 
removed to the neighboring town of Lexington, 
where he seems to have resided until he was 
about thirty-five years of age, but no record of 
assessment in Lexintrton has been found, nor in 
Woburn. He married, first, Nov. 5, 17 19, Sarah 
Stone, born in Lexington, Nov. 7, 1700. She 
was admitted to the church in Lexington, June 
19, 1728. They removed to Brimfield, Mass., 
where he appears to have been a prominent citi- 
zen. He was one of the original members of the 
church there in 1724. In 1736 he was on the 
" committee to treat with minister relating to his 
principles and all soe, relating to y^ proposals made 
by y^ town in order to settlement & sallery." In 
the same year he gives four acres of land to the 
minister. In 1739 he petitions the town for per- 



And His Descendants 133 

mission to erect a horse- shed at the meeting- 
house. 

Children by first wife : 

y I. JosEPH,5 born in Lexington, April 17, 1721. 
II. Sarah,5 born in Lexington, Nov. 12, 1722; 
married Sept. 12, 175 1, Reuben Twombly. 
III. Anna,5 born in Lexington, April 10, 1724; 
died March, 1820; married Sept. 12, 1751, 
Thomas Sherman, born Sept. 6, 1722 ; died 
Nov. 22, 1803.* They had: 

1. Abigail Sherman,^ born June 11, 1752; mar- 

ried , Aaron Morgan. 

2. Samuel Sherman,^ born March 14, 1754; died 

May 30, 1800. 

3. Luce Sherman,^ born Sept. 30, 1756; married 

, Dr. David Ellinwood. 

4. Joseph Sherman,^ born March 16, 1759; mar- 

ried , EHzabeth Blodgett, daughter of 

Thomass and Margaret (Walker) Blodgett, 
born in Brimlield, Jul}' 26, 1759. 

5. Abel Sherman,*^ born Oct. 9, 1761. 

6. Sarah Sherman,^ born March 28, 1765; mar- 

ried , William Carpenter. 

7. Thomas Sherman,^ Jr., born Dec. 28, 1766; 

married first, , Sarah Townsley, who died 

181 1 ; married second, May 4, 1815, Mary 
Morgan, who died 1857. 

IV. Abigail,^ born in Lexington, July 10, 1726; 
died Oct., 1820. 

* Sherman Genealogy. 



134 Thomas Blodgett 

V. RuTH,5 born in Lexington, March i, 1728 ; 

married Aug. 30, 1750, John Davidson, Jr. 

Brimfield Records make Ruth the last born 

in Lexington ; Benjamin and all later were 

born in Brimfield. 
X VL BenjamiNjS born June 19, 1730. 
X Vn. Abner,5 born June 6, 1732. 
X VIIL Thomas,5 born Sept. 26, 1734. 

The wife, Sarah (Stone), died May 8, 1735 ; 
and he married, second, June 29, 1738, Sarah 
Ingersoll, who was born in Springfield, Mass., May 
17, 1718; died April 24, 1774. They had : 

X IX. Samuel,5 born May 17, 1739. 

X. Lydia,5 born Feb. 17, 1741 ; died Sept. 8, 
1808 ; married Oct. 13, 1762, Simeon Hub- 
bard. 

X XL JoNAS,5 born Nov. 12, 1743. 

X XIL AzuBAH,5 born April 12, 1746; probably mar- 
ried Dr. Sherbad Winslow, of Westfield, 
Vt., and died there June 10, 1821. See 
"Winslow Memorial." 

X XIIL Caleb,5 born Nov. 24, 1748. 

X XIV. Elijah,5 born Oct. 25, 175 i (written 1761). 

X XV. Marsena,5 born March 4, 1754. 

X XVI. Nathan,5 born Nov. 3, 1756. 

X XVII. Admatha,5 born Dec. 15, 1758. 

Samuel^ (Thomas,^ Samuel,'' Thomas''), son of 
Thomas^ and Rebecca (Tidd) Blodgett, was bap- 
tized in Lexington, Mass., June 17, 1702; died 



And His Descendants 135 

there Jan. 23, 1773, aet. 71 years. He was as- 
sessed in Lexington, 1744 and 1752/71. He was 
probably a farmer. He married June 26, 1726, 
Mary Russell, probably a daughter of Jonathan 
and Elizabeth; she was born Jan. i, 1705; bap- 
tized Jan. 7, 1705. " Mary Blodgett " (probably 
the above) "died April 22, 1781, aet. 81 yrs."* 

Children : 

X I. Samuel,5 born April 30, 1727. 
X n. SiMEONjS born June 5, 1730. 

III. JosEPHjS born Feb. 10, 1732; died June 10, 

1733- 

IV. MarYjS born June 20, 1733 ; married May 2, 

1760, Jonathan Perry. 
V. Ruth, 5 born Aug. 29, 1735 ; married Oct. 25, 

1759, Henry Harrington. 
X VI. JosiAH,5 born Dec. 28, 1737. 
X VII. TiMOTHY,5 born Aug. 7, Lex. R. (Aug. 10, 

Wm. B. B.), 1740. 
X VIII. Isaac, 5 born Feb. i, 1744, Lex. R. (1742 Wm. 

B. B.) 

* Hudson, in his " History of Lexington," makes her the daughter of 
James and Mary Russell, but that is probably incorrect. There are two 
Marys of similar age. The evidence seems conclusive that Mary, the 
daughter of James and Mary Russell, married Benjamin Bailey, of 
Stow. 




INDEX 



Allen, Squire 123 
Arnold, Oliver 123 
Atwell, John 62 

Kate A. 62 

Louisa J. (Blodgett) 62 
Austen, Maiy 38 
Avery, Charles 39 

Marcia 39 

Susan (Batchelder) 39 
Batchelder, Susan 39 
Blanchard, Abigail io5 

Tabitha 102 

Thomas 90 
Blodgett, Abby J. (Fellows) 59 

Abigail 18, 90, 101-105, 112, 
118, 120, 131, 133 

Abigail (Blanchard) 106 

Abigail (Booth) 106 

Abigail (Converse) 131 

Abner 35, 57, 59, 66, 106, 134 

Admatha 134 

Alice E. (Hook) 59 

Amanda (Johnson) 61,83 

Amanda L. 61 

Amanda M. (Hoyt) 61 

Amos 132 

Ann 62 

Ann B. (Burns) 62, 80 

Anna 16, 96, 98, 106, 133 



Blodgett, Anna G. 53 
Anne 17, 98 
Ardella F. (Brown) 38 
Asahel 3, 5, 16, 19, 23, 24, 27, 

28, 34, 37. 39-41. 50, 54, 57, 

60, 65-67, 84, 86 
Asahel N. 39 

Azlie ( Burleigh) 59 

Azubah 134 

Beniah 19, 35, 62, 65-67, 86 

Benjamin 16, 96, 98, 99, 107, 

117, 122, 125, 126, 130, 134 
Benoni 14, 17, 98, 105 
Benzen 121, 122 
Bertha (Gerner) 61 
Betsey 35, 54, 66, 86 
Betsey (Haniblet-Hamlet) 19, 

65,86 
Bridget no 
Caleb 4, 17, 25, 27, 34, 42, 50- 

52,63,69,90, 105, 116, 126- 

128, 134 
Catherine 28, 34, 50, 66 
Catherine P. 40 
Catherine (Pollard) 28, 34, 37, 

41, 50, 65 
Charles B. 39 
Charles H. 39 
Charles M. 52 



138 



Index 



Blodgett, Charles W. 48, 49^ 
Charlotte (Piper) 50 
Chaslina C. 58 
Chastina (Clark) Simpson 62 
Chester M. 38 
Daniel 5, 9, 10, 12-14, i''^ I7> 

'*59. 93> 95-10'' 104. 113' 114. 

116, 117, 121, 122, 129 
David 1 06, no 
Dinah (Morse) 128 
Dorcas 90 

Dorcas (Wheeler) 64, 90 
Dorothy 18, 90, 104, 105 
Dorothy (Perham) 17, 18, 28, 

63,87, 89, 104 
Ebenezer 3, 18, 19, 34, 41, 46, 

63-67, 90, 104, 106, 108, 132 
Edward 10 
Elias 38, 86 
Elias M. 38, 40 
Elijah 106, 134 
Eliza M. (King) 57 
Elizabeth 99, loi, 107, 108, 112, 

127, 129, 133 

EHzabeth ( ) 127-129 

Elizabeth (Fletcher) 107 

Elizabeth ( Herbert) 58 

Elizabeth (Warren) 100 

EHzabeth (Wright) 108 

Elizabeth (Wyman) 127, 128 

Ellen G. (Hazeltine) 40 

Emily R. 50 

Emmons W. 48 

Esther 106, 108, 126 

Eunice M. 58 

Frances 58 

Franklin 57 

Frederick S. 48 

Frederick N. 48 

George A. 40 

Hannah 19, 65, 99, loi, 108, 115 

Harriet L. 55 



Blodgett, Harriett M. 48 
Harry T. 61 
Henry 121 
Herbert L. 38 
Howard E. 59 
Huldah 116, 121 
Huldah (Simonds) 116, 120- 

122, 126, 128-131 
Ida M. 39 

Isaac 19, 28, 34, 65-67, 135 
Isaac D. 5, 46, 49^ 
Isaac N. 4, 52, 90 
Jabez 57 
Jabez E. 59 
Jacob Id, 1 08, no 
James 18, 63, 64, 90, 105, 106, 

129 
Jemima 1 1 1 

Jemima (Nutting) no, 112 
Jeremiah 3, 18, 19, 23, 25, 35, 

60, 62-66, 79, 83, 90, 104 
Jerry 58 
John 17,98, 106. 107, no, 116, 

117 
John G. 59 
John S. 39 
John T. 4, 90 
Jonas 134 
Jonathan 17, 18, 62-64, 9°. 96, 

99, 105, no, 132 
Joseph 3, 14, 17, 18, 28, 63, 64, 

87, 89, 90, 98, 99, 103-105, 

n8, 120, 132, 133, 135 
Joshua n6, 117, 121, 128, 129 
Josiah loi, 106, 109, no, 112, 

116, 117, 121, 122, 129,130, 

135 
Judah 90 
Kate P. 40 
Kate (Daly) 58 
Katherine 128 
Lois 34, 65, 66, 86 



Index 



139 



Blodgett, Lois (Pollard) 35, 54, 57, 

60, 65, 86 
Lois R. 59 
Loretta H. 58 
Louisa J. 62 
Louisa K. (Bond) 52 
Lucinda 35, 66, 86 
Lucy 126 
Lucy (Nevins) 18 
Lydia 11 1, 120, 134 
Mabel C. (Smith) 48 
Mae (Putman) 48 
Marcia (Avery) 39 

Margaret ( ) 129 

Margaret (Walker) 133 

Marsena 134 

Martha 115 

Martha (Ilamblet) 37 

Mary 17, 98, 99, loi, 115, 122. 

126, 129, 135 

Mary ( ) 96, 109, 129, 131 

Mary (Butterfield) 16, 17, 89, 

96-100 
Mary (Druse) 17, 98, 106 
Mary E. 38 
Mary (Mallet) 122 
Mary (Parkis) 17, 97, loi, 103. 

105 
Mary (Pellat) 98, 107 
Mary (Rowlandson), 99 
Mary (Russell) 135 
Mary (vStarkweather) 125 
Mary (Warren) 101, 107-109 
Mary L. (Weutworth) 48, 49^ 
Mehitable 131 
Melinda (Clement) 38 
Miriam 58 
Miriam (Provender) 18, 23, 25, 

64 
Monira B. (Plumer) 40 
Murray E. 40 
Nathan 117, 131, 134 



Blodgett, Nathaniel 17, 97, 100 
Nehemiah 109 
Olive 108 
Oliver 109 
Paul 121, 122, 130 
Persis 57, loi 
Phineas 37 
Phineas W. 90 
Phinehas 132 
Polly 37, 86 
Rachel (Pollard) 57 
Rebecca 17, 18, 90, 98, 104-106, 

118, 120, 132 
Rebecca (Tidd) 11 7-1 20, 131, 

132. 134 
Reuben 108 
Richard 10 

Roxalana B. (Martin) 52 
Rufus 4, 35, 54, 61, 62, 66, 79, 83 
Ruth 108, 114, 118, 120, 129, 

134. 135 
Ruth (Eggleton) 114, 115, 117 

Ruth W. (Fellows) 54 

Sally (Cheever) 41, 46 

Sally (Clough) 39 

Sally M. 39 

Samuel 5, 9, 10, 12-14, '6, 17, 

93. 97. 98> 100, 106, 1 13-123, 

126-131, 134, 135 
Sarah 18, 19, 65, 99, loi, no, 

115, 121, 130, 133 
Sarah A. (Gerould) 53 
Sarah (Cross) 64, 90 
Sarah (Hall) 124, 125 
Sarah (Ingersoll) 134 
Sarah (Johnson) 116 
Sarah P. 48 
Sarah (Stone) 132, 134 
Sarah (Underwood) 17, 97, 100 
Sarah (Wyman) 127, 128 
Seth 127 
Sibyl 34, 66, 67, 86 



I40 



Index 



Blodgett, Silas 130 
Simeon 108, 135 
Susan 58 
Susan ( ) 9, 10, 12, 16, 93, 

95. "3 
Susanna 11, 12, 16, 93, 94, 115, 

116, 127, 130 

Susanna (McLain) 107 

Tabitha 102, 103 

Tabitha (Blanchard) 102, 103 

Thankful 10 1, 106 

Thomas 4, 9-12, 15-17, 89, 93, 
95-98, 101-103, 105, 106, 113, 
115, 117-120, 131-134 

Timothy 135 

Wealthy W. (Leavett) 38 

Wentworth P. 48 

William 17, 97, 100, loi, 107- 
109, 112, 116, 117, 122-126 

William J. 62 

William K. 58 

Zacheus 109 

Zebulon 1 10 
Bond, George W. 52 

Louise K. 52 

Margaret S. 52 
Booth, Abigail 106 

Rebecca 106 

Simon 106 
Bowen, Thos. 123 

Bridgeman, Rev. 43 

Broughton, Edw. 123 
Brown, Ardella F. 38 

George H. 38 

Hannah 61 

Martha (Foster) 38 

William 85 

Burleigh, Azlie E. ( ) 59 

Burns, Ann B. 62, 80 

Ann (Blodgett) 62 

Samuel 62, 80 
Butterfield, AUis [Alice] in 



Butterfield, Asa 1 1 1 

Benjamin 16, 96 

Jacob W- III 

Jemima in 

Jesse III 

Lydia (Blodgett) in 

Mary 16, 17, 89, 96-100 

Otis III 

Susy III 
Carpenter, Sarah (Sherman) 133 

William 133 
Chaney, Abigail (Blodgett) 112 

John 112 
Chase, Hannah (Blodgett) 19, 65 

Stephen 19, 65 
Cheeney, Elizabeth (Blodgett) 112 

John 112 
Cheever, Ezekiel 42 

Mehitable (Porter) 41 

Nathan 41 

Sally 41, 46 
Chesebrough, Jonathan 124 
Clark, Chastina 62 

Enoch 62 

Ruth (Harriman) 62 
Clement, Betsey (Farrar) 38 

Levi 38 

Melinda 38 
Clough, Daniel 39 

Sally 39 
Connell, P. J. 88 
Converse, Abigail 131 
Corrigan, Agnes C. 56 
Cotton, Eli 129 
Crangle, Agnes R. 55 

Alice L. 55 

Arline L. 55 

Betsey (Blodgett) 54 

Gillian A. (Dickinson) 55 

Clara E. 55 

Clara L. 55 

Euretta J. (Ward) 55 



Index 



141 



Crangle, Frederick 55 

Herbert C. 55 

James F. 55 

William 54 

William E. 55 

William J. 55 

William R. 54 
Cross, Nathan 90 

Sarah 64, 90 
Dabney, Louis F. 71 
Daly, Kate 58 

Dana, Melinda (Clement- Blod- 
gett) 38 

Wolcott 38 
Danforth, Josiah iio 

Sarah (Blodgett) no 
Davidson, John 134 

Ruth (Blodgett) 134 
Davis, Belle (Spaulding) 49 

Benjamin 58 

Charles H. 49 

Emily F. 58 

Frank L. 49 

Gertrude M. 49 

Herbert C. 49 

Increase S. 45, 54 

John L. 48 

Mary (Kelley) 49 

Miriam (Blodgett) 58 

Sarah V. (Blodgett) 48 
Dickinson, Cillian A. 55 
Dole, Lois (Blodgett) 34, 86 

Wales, 34 
Druse, Mary 17, 98, 106 
Dunbar, James R. 71 
Eggleton, Ruth 114, 115, 117 

Stephen 114 
Ellinwood, David 133 

Lucy (Sherman) 133 
Emerson, Daniel 100 
Emmons, Nellie E. 58 
Endicott, John 16 



Farrar, Betsey 38 
Fellows, Abbie J. 59 

Ruth W. 54 
Fletcher, Elizabeth 107 

John 103 

Joshua 107 
Foster, Andrew loi 

Martha 38 

Mary (Blodgett) 98, loi 

Moses 98 
Freeman, Ebenezer 126 

Lucy (Blodgett) 126 

Mary (Blodgett) 126 

Nathan 126 

Ruth 126 

Sarah 126 
Fuller, T. D. 88 
Fulton, Aaron 130 

Sarah (Blodgett) 130 
George, Benaiah S. 49 

Gertrude M. (Davis) 49 
Gerner, Bertha 61 

Lena (Schwartz) 61 

Stephen 61 
Gerould, Cynthia (Locke) 53 

Moses 53 

Sarah A. 53 
Gilman, David 24 
Goff, John 18 
Goodwin, Statira 48 
Greeley, 64 

Abigail (Blodgett) 105 

Samuel 105 
Green, Emily A. 52 

Jacob 129 

Robert S. 84 

Ruth (Blodgett) 129 
Greenough, Charles P. 71 
Hall, John 125 

Sarah 125 

Stephen 125 

Willard 107 



142 



Index 



Hamblet [Hamlet] Betsey 19, 65 

Martha 37 
Harriman, Mary 61 

Ruth 62 
Harrington, Henry 135 

Ruth (Blodgett) 135 
Harris, Thomas 12 
Hayward, John 115 

Judith 116 

Sarah (Blodgett) 115 
Hazeltine, Ellen G. 40 
Herberd, John 10 

Elizabeth ( ) 58 

Hickok, Andrew 18 

Sarah (Blodgett) 18 
Hook, Alice E. 59 
Hooker [Thomas] 1 1 
Hoyt, Amanda M. 6[ 

Charles 61 

Mary (Harriman) 61 
Hubbard, Lydia (Blodgett) 134 

Simeon 134 
Iggledon (see Eggleton) 
Ingersoll, Sarah 134 
Jackson, Emily R. (Blodgett) 50 

George 51 

Miles 50 
Jasper, John 123 
Jenison, William 124 
Johnson, Amanda 61, 83 

Edward 115 

Hannah (Brown) 61 

Samuel 85 

Sarah 115 

Sarah (Blodgett- Wilson) 115 

WilHam 61 
Kelley, Mary 49 
Kendall, Ruth (Blodgett) 114 

Thomas 114 
King, Eliza M. 57 
Kirk, John W. 59 

Lois R. (Blodgett) 59 



Kirk, Wallace B. 59 

Warren B. 59 
Kline, Aaron K. 55 

Clara L. (Crangle) 55 
Lea, Robert 9 
Leavett, Joseph 38 

Mary (Austen) 38 

Wealthy W. 38 
Locke, Cynthia 53 
Long, John D. 51 
Lynch, Patrick 123 
Mallet, Mary 122 

Marsh, Dorothy (Blodgett-Thomp- 
son) 105 

Onesiphorus 105 
Marshall, Anson S. 52 
Martin, Emily A. (Green) 52 

Frank 39 

Jesse 52 

Mary B. 40 

Roxalana B. 52 

Sally M. (Blodgett) 39 
Mason, Albert (Chief Justice) 74 
McKenna, Agnes C. (Corrigan) 56 

Gertrude A. 56 

Harriet L. (Blodgett) 55 

James 55 

Katherine A. 56 

Rufus J. 56 

Ruth G. L. 56 
McLain, Susanna 107 
Meena, John 12 

Merrill, Rebecca (Blodgett) 64, 
105 

Samuel 105 
Morgan, Aaron 133 

Abigail (Sherman) 133 

Mary 133 
Morse, Dinah 128 

Dinah (Knight) 128 

John 1 28 
Morton, Charles 115 



Index 



143 



Mosher, Mrs. 39 
Mulvana, Francis J. 56 

James F. 56 

John 56 

Ruth G. L. (McKenna) 56 
Nevins, Lucy 18 
Nutting, Jemima no 
Parham, Jemima (Blodgett) lit 

John 1 1 1 
Parker, 7 1 

Henry L. 76 
Parkis, Joseph 17, 97 

Mary 17, 97, loi, 103, 105 
Pellat, Mary 98, 107 
Perham, Dorothy 17. 18, 63, 89. 
104 

Joseph 104 
Perry, Jonathan 135 

Mary (Blodgett) 135 
Phippen, Judith (Ilayward) 115 
Pierce, Esther (Blodgett) 126 
Pike, Austin F. 52 
Piper, Charlotte 50 

Jane 50 

Noah 50 
Plumer, Frances (Blodgett) 58 

George 58 

George F. 58 

Josiah R. 40 

Lucinda B. 58 

Monira B. 40 

Nellie E. (Emmons) 58 

Persis M. 58 

Rachel C. (Smith) 40 
Pollard, Abigail 34 

Calvin 63 

Catherine 34, 37, 41, 50, 65 

Ebenezer 34 

Lois 35, 54, 57, 60, 65, 86 

Rachel 57 
Porter, Mehitable 41 
Provender, Miriam 18, 23, 25, 64 



Prudden, Theodore P. 48 
Putman, Hannah 48 

Mae 45 

Martin V. B. 48 
Robie, Esther (Blodgett) 108 

John 108 
Quincy, Josiah 79, 80 
Randall, Jont. 123 
Reed, Abigail (Blodgett) 118, 120 

Ebenezer 1 1 5 

Huldah (Blodgett) 115 

Peter 1 18, 120 
Richardson, Joseph 115 

Mary (Blodgett) 115 
Robie, Esther (Blodgett) loS 

John 108 
Rollins, Lucinda B. (Plumer) 58 

William H. 58 
Rowlandson, Joseph 99 

Mary 99 
Rumford, Count 13, 94 
Russell, Abigail ii8 

Adonijah 1 18 

Elizabeth ( ) 135 

James 135 

John 118 

Jonathan 135 

Mary 135 

Mary ( ) 135 

Rebecca 118 

Rebecca (Blodgett) 118, 120 

Solomon 118 

William E. 51, 70 
Schwartz, Lena 61 
Shea, Agnes R. (Crangle) 55 

Clara E. 55 

John 55 

WilHam J. 55 
Shelton, Harriet E. 48 
Shepard, Thomas 1 1 
Sherman, Abel 133 

Abigail 133 



144 



Index 



Sherman, Anna (Blodgett) 133 

Joseph 133 

Luce 133 

Mary (Morgan) 133 

Samuel 133 

Sarah 133 

Sarah (Townsley) 133 

Thomas 133 
Simonds, Fred. 38 

Iluldah 115, 120-122, 126, 128- 

131 
James 115, 1 16 

Judith (Ilayward-Phippen) 115 

Mary E. (Blodgett) 38 

Susanna (Blodgett) 115, 116 

William 115 
Simpson, Chastina (Clark) 62 

Henry F. 62 
Smith, Harriet E. (Shelton) 48 

Mabel C. 48 

N. Denton 48 

Rachel C. 40 
Spaulding, Belle 49 
Starkweather, Mary 125 
Stevens, Thomas 125 
Stone, Sarah 132, 134 
Storey, Moorfield 71 
Taylor, Bridget (Blodgett) iic 

Cyrus C. no 

John 88 

Oliver no 



Thompson 



105 



-y 



Benjamin 13, 94 
Dorothy (Blodgett) 105 
Ebenezer 94 
James 12, 16, 94, 95 
Jonathan 12, 13, 16, 94 
Sarah 94 
Simon 94 

Susan ( Blodgett) 12, 93, 95 

Susanna 94 

Susanna (Blodgett) 12, 16, 94 



Tidd, John 117 

Marshall 13 

Rebecca 117, 131, 132, 134 

Rebecca (Wood) 117 
Townsley, Sarah 133 
Tucker, Samuel 85 
Twombly, Reuben 133 

Sarah (Blodgett) 133 
Tyng, Major 1 17 
Underwood, Sarah 17, 97, 100 

William 17, 97 
Walker, Margaret 133 

William 24 
Ward, Euretta J. 55 
Warren, Elizabeth 100 

Mary loi, 107, loS 
M'ashington, George 14, 24 
Webb, John W. 56 

Katherine A. (McKenna) 56 

Marian E. 56 

Robert J. 56 
Webster, Kimball 27, 28, 87-89, 

104 
Wentworth, John B. 48 

Mary L. 48, 49^7 

Statira (Goodwin) 48 
Wheeler, Dorcas 64, 90 
Willard, Joseph A. 71 
Williams, Thomas 123 
Wilson, Samuel 115 

Sarah (Simonds) 115 
Windship, Edward 12 
Winn, Joseph 1 15 

Martha (Blodgett) 115 
Winslow, Azubah (Blodgett) 134 

Sherbad 134 
Wood, Rebecca 117 
Wright, Elizabeth loS 

Henry 107 
Wynian, Elizabeth 127, 128 
Sarah 127, 128 



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